Falling Star - Hilda
by Fluffytail15
Summary: Eric Lyons is just an ordinary twelve year old. So when he wakes up and finds himself falling from the sky, he already has some questions about his situation. When he recovers, he finds himself in a mystical world and a long way from home. With Hilda's help, maybe he can find his way back, and find out the other weird happenings in Trolberg before the big Bird Parade.
1. Falling Down

**The cover for this story was kindly created by MariusWales on DeviantArt. All credit and thanks goes to him for the amazing artwork!**

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

 _It was cold…_

That was the first thought that came into my mind as I felt sharp cold wind slash at my face. I couldn't feel anything else but the wind, whipping my hair into all sorts of directions, making my eyes water even though they were closed. I could feel unrelenting pressure crushing my skull in my head, twisting my brain into two mushy pieces.

The pain in my head was horrible, but it wasn't the worst part. I couldn't feel anything under me except the air that flowed past my body. I reached out to attempt to find the wooden frame of my bed or the rough broken walls of my home. There was nothing though, nothing but me and the air.

 _Was I falling?_

Maybe I was, but I was too scared to open my eyes and find out, if anything, the thought made me squeeze them tighter, allowing a river of tears to pour out of them. The single thought of me falling to my untimely death was unthinkable. I must have been dreaming. Wait, no, I must be dreaming. Yes, this is all just a nightmare staged by my mind. That's why my head felt like it was being crushed. This was all just in my head.

But then why does it feel so real? Why can I feel my jacket, which Is slightly blocking the cold air? How can I control my body even though I'm not in a lucid dream? And most importantly, why can't I remember anything?

It was very hard with my head feeling like it was exploding, but try as I did, I couldn't remember a single thing besides small stuff. I could remember how I have a scar on my leg, but I have no clue how I got it. I remember the color of my blanket, but couldn't think of the type of house it was in. I didn't even know if I had somewhere to be, or where I even was.

Speaking of which, I have no idea where I am either. I don't know if I'm in the sky, or maybe in a simulated room or just a dream in general. I know the only way to find out is to open my eyes, my wet, sore, dead afraid eyes.

So, I did, I opened them as wide as I could, hoping to see my bedroom, or my parents, or even my deep red blanket. The cold wind pierced through my eyes, but I kept them open, even if the will to close them was just as strong.

That's when my heart stopped beating. When my lungs no longer took in air. When even my head felt like it was frozen for just a second.

I was indeed, falling in the sky.

A sound tried to escape my raw throat, maybe screaming? I don't know, because all that came out was a choked gasp. So many questions invaded my thoughts that my brain didn't even have time to process them all.

 _Where was I? How did I get here? Who did this to me? What is happening?_

Now that I knew I was falling, I truly felt how weightless I was against gravity. It practically dragged me through the sky toward the ground. My heart was beating faster than I ever thought possible. Even though there was air all around me, I felt as if though there was no oxygen in my lungs.

Horrified, I quickly attempted to pull the parachute cord behind me, but then I remembered that I'm not wearing a parachute backpack. In fact, I'm wearing a regular one that looks brown and almost worn out.

I could feel tears pouring out of my eyes as I quickly fell further toward the Earth. I knew I could look at the ground, but I didn't want to look at it. I didn't want to see the ground where my body would soon be laying. What did it matter anyway? I was going to die either-

BAM! All of a sudden, my body practically slammed into an object. Any air I was holding was sucked out of my lungs. Pain erupted in my face like fire, quickly spreading everywhere. I thought I was dead, I hit the ground and have died. But no black spots were invading my vision, I didn't feel like my body was going numb, in fact, after the impact, my body was more alert as I gripped onto whatever was keeping me from falling to the Earth.

Did I feel something soft, maybe fur? Yes, it was, yellow fur to be exact… and I was… flying?

Confused, I turned around to see that I was still in the sky, but I was no longer falling to my death to the forest below. I was flying instead… on a…

What was this thing? A bird? What kind of bird is so large that-

Suddenly, the thing made a sharp turn to the left and it took all of my strength to hold onto its body. I was sucking in so much breath that I didn't take time to stop and think what I was on anymore. Whatever it was, it saved me, and I was flying far away.

I climbed right back onto the top of the creature and laid down trying to catch my breath. It didn't seem to mind my presence as it continued soaring through the air. Thank goodness it wasn't a man-eating monster or something like that.

I looked at it carefully, becoming more confused as I examined the creature. It was shaped like an orb and was covered in tons of yellow fur. It had floppy ears, and a small tail behind it's… head, I think. I couldn't see it's face, but I didn't need to. It looked harmless enough, so I just took my time trying to control my breathing as I sat there, trying not to think about the odd design this creature had.

However, this just produced more questions.

 _What in the world was this thing? How is it flying? What's big enough to fly and hold a human?_

However, I chose to ignore the questions for now. The adrenaline in my body had since started to fade away, and I slowly realized how weak and tired I was. Besides, I was surrounded by… so much fur… such soft… fluffy… fur…

Before I could stop myself, I began to sleep.

* * *

 **Hilda**

 _This was boring…_

Those were the first few thoughts Hilda had while patrolling the neighborhood with Frida and David, casually looking for anybody that needed help. It was part of one of their assignments Raven Leader gave to them last Friday.

" _For the next two weeks, you are tasked with going door to door in your neighborhood and asking citizens if they are in need of help. Ask for their signature as payment for the job and try and complete the assignment as long as it's nothing too ambitious. The top five groups with the most signatures will earn their badges!"_

It seemed like an easy task at first, and it was. For the first few days, Hilda's group was rocking the most signatures out of all the Sparrow Scouts. It was a big help that Frida was in their group, as it was her idea to start out immediately on the task. They helped dozens of people cut their lawns, get rid of rodents lurking in their house, or just being there for support if they needed something.

However, over the course of the next few days, things kind of became harder. Most of the sparrow scouts have been going to the same houses as other groups have, and it has become generally annoying for most of the neighborhoods around Trolberg to deal with them. Some people were polite enough to decline them, other though…

"GET OFF MY LAWN SPARROW SCOUTS!" Mr. Loden shouted, "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH SIGNING YOUR SIGNATURES!"

Yet they weren't even on his yard.

"Sorry, Mr. Loden!" Frida called out, "Will just be on our way."

"You better be…" Hilda could hear the man grumble.

The group went along the sidewalk as Mr. Loden's door closed loudly behind them.

"It wouldn't kill them to say no thank you?" Hilda said just as they got out of earshot from Mr. Loden house.

"People react to things in different ways," Frida mentions, "It could just be that so many different groups are approaching them asking for work that it's annoying to them now."

"So? It doesn't give them the excuse to yell at children who just want to help," Hilda countered, "Besides? Who doesn't want free work done for them?"

"Yeah," David chimed in, "It does seem weird. I mean, if I had a ton of people working for me, I would…"

David silently pondered the idea of having no work to do at home, wondering what exactly he would do if he had tons of free time.

"Well, I have no idea what I would."

"I do," Hilda said, running ahead and jumping over a huge puddle, "If I had people working for me, I would go exploring the entire city until I had to go back home. Just think of all the fun stuff there is to do out there."

"Well nothing fun is going on right now," Frida countered, "besides, the quicker we get this done, the sooner we can do whatever we want after all of this."

The children said nothing as they continued down the road, passing many houses they knew other groups had already been to. Some adults gave them dirty looks through their windows, while others simply had their curtains drawn tightly and their doors locked.

"You'd think we were criminals with the treatment we get from these adults," Hilda said silently.

Frida, not even noticing Hilda's comment, stopped dead in her tracks and inspected the white house to their left. It was quite a small home, only having one floor. It had a small porch, filled with two rocking chairs and an end table. The curtains to the house were drawn, but it seemed as if no one was home.

"This house hasn't had any visitors, let's go see if they need help." Frida chirped, walking quickly to the porch.

Hilda followed right behind, eyeing the house carefully. She noticed that there were tons of stuff that was destroyed, but she especially noticed the broken birdbath, the destroyed birdhouse that lied on the ground, and even what appeared to be a ripped-up bird parade poster on the porch. It was clear whoever owned this place was not a bird lover.

Somehow, it reminded her of the Raven, and she wondered how he would react seeing all this.

Netherless, Hilda and David quickly followed Frida up the steps to the front door.

"This place gives me the creeps," David said as he shivered.

"It's not that bad David, this person just has not taken proper care of their house, there's no need to worry."

David still eyed around the place carefully and stood very close to Hilda as Frida knocked hard onto the rotten door.

"How much do you think we would have to do if the person does ask us for something Frida?" Hilda asked.

Frida carefully expected the place before coming up with a simple answer.

"Maybe about a few hours," Frida answered, "but you never know, they could give us something easy."

Just as Frida said that the door opened quickly, practically slamming outward and almost hitting Frida in the face. Shocked, the children stepped back to see an old haggled women swinging around the porch with a rotting broom.

"GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM MY HOUSE YOU FILTHY RODENTS! YOUR KIND IS NOT WELCOME HERE!"

Hilda could already feel Frida tugging on her jacket. Suggesting that they should leave immediately. She could not agree more.

"Oh! Uh… were very sorry ma'am," Hilda started, "Will just be going now,"

"WAIT JUST A MINUTE!"

Hilda gasped as the old women grabbed tightly onto her jacket, staining it with black coal dust. She could hear David faint and Frida call out behind her, but Hilda didn't pay attention to them, instead eyeing the old woman's face that inspected her carefully.

The women might have been attractive once, but all that existed was a decaying crazy lady. Bits and pieces of brown hair mixed in with her shriveling grey strands. Her bony hands revealed wrinkled skin. Her eyes were the worst part though, one of them being milky white, and the other pale blue, like a vulture.

Hilda stood still as the women inspected her carefully, silently wishing Twig would show up, or her mother, or even the great raven. No one came to her rescue though as the women leaned closer to her, to the point where she could smell her rotting breath.

"What's your name?" the women spoke.

Hilda didn't hesitate to answer.

"My name is Hilda, and I would kindly appreciate if you'd let go of me!"

The old lady didn't let go but loosened her grip a tiny bit for Hilda to start calming down.

"Hilda…," the women said, "I remember you…"

The words caught into Hilda's throat as confusion set in. Remembered her? She had never seen the women in her life.

So, Hilda eyed the old lady carefully, trying to peer into her eyes to see any hint of emotion. She looked deeper and deeper until she could detect something in those old sagging eyes.

Sorrow…

"You were that girl," she started, "in the… in the dream."

Hilda's eyes squinted in confusion.

"What dream, what are you talking about?"

The woman's face softened as she spoke her next few words.

"The bell… it must have been that darned bell."

The women had finally let go of Hilda's jacket, and before Hilda could even move, Frida was grabbing on tightly and pulling Hilda away from the house.

"Terribly sorry miss," Frida called out, "But we have to get going now!"

Hilda was practically dragged away from the house by Frida and David, mostly Frida though because David was already on the other side of the street calling out for them. When they all made it to the sidewalk, they all quickly ran down the street and toward the corner where the women would no longer see them.

But Hilda still heard her voice, and still heard her words.

"BEWARE OF THE FALLING STAR HILDA! IT WILL COME AND BRING YOU MIS-"

Then the voice stopped.

The children all quickly caught their breaths as the sun slowly descended down beyond the wall until none of them could see it anymore. The sky turned orange and red, and soon, they could only see glimpses of the sun

"That was close," David said, "I can't believe we got away."

"It's okay," Frida said, "were all fine, right Hilda?"

Hilda, however, was staring off into the sky, wondering what the old lady was talking about. How crazy and weird she had been but saying something that intrigued Hilda to the point where she forgot everything else she was planning on doing today.

"Hilda?"

Suddenly, she snapped back into reality as Frida and David stared at her.

"Uh, yeah, everything's perfectly fine," she exclaimed.

David sighed in relief, but Frida eyed her carefully. Hilda stared right back at her.

Finally, Frida gave up and fished the clipboard full of the adult's signatures in her backpack.

"Okay, so we might not have gotten all the signatures we needed today, but we still got three more days until the deadline, we can do this."

"We don't have to go back onto this street, right?" David asked.

"Of course not, most of the adults here are rude and cranky. Will just try another street tomorrow."

"Agreed," Hilda said.

But somehow, a part of her still questioned what exactly the women in the white house meant. She could obviously be insane, but there was something she saw in that woman's eyes.

"' _BEWARE OF THE FALLING STAR!"_

What could she have meant?

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

My eyes popped open as I shot my head up quickly. I was still lying on top of the weird creature I landed on. There was a cool breeze out tonight, and the moon overhead me shined brightly down onto this unknown land I have entered.

 _How long was I asleep?_

I must have been sleeping for at least the entire time the sun was out, which is weird because you would think that after so many hours, this thing I'm on would have just dropped me the moment it made a turn, but I was still on the strange new creature.

Even though I didn't know what was going on, I now knew that for however long I'm in this strange place, my mind will be plagued with questions, so I should just try an answer them one at a time.

The first question I wanted to be answered, was where the heck was I?

Carefully inching my way toward the edge of the creatures orb-like body, I peered out into the night. There wasn't much to look at, just dark woods underneath me, mountains in the distance, big open rivers. I concluded quickly that wherever I was, must have been far inland because I didn't see the ocean anywhere around me.

I knew for a fact that I wasn't anywhere near my home.

I slowly crawled my way back toward the center of the creature and laid down. The wind softly blew onto my face, reminding me of the traumatizing fall I had just a few hours ago. I can still feel the sharp winds slapping against my body.

Why was I falling anyway? Was I skydiving or something and fell off the plane? No that couldn't be it, I didn't even have a parachute with me unless maybe I did and I just lost it on the way down. Maybe someone kidnapped me, took me to a plane and pushed me off hoping I would die? Wait, then why wouldn't they do it at night when no one would have been awake?

Was I even on Earth? I'm pretty sure no creature like the one I was on ever existed on Earth.

Ugh! This is so infuriating. I can't even think with a dumb headache I still have. It wasn't as nearly as bad as before, but it still was annoying with the throbbing pain.

I can't answer any of these questions! I don't know why anyone would want to kidnap me. I might not remember who I was before I fell from the sky, but I know for a fact that I'm not some rich snob from the wealthiest family from town, I'm just an average kid. Besides, why would they send me here when they could have just locked me in a shed and asked for a ransom? No need to wipe my memory and fling me off a plane.

No need to send me to a strange world that I have no knowledge of…

…

 _What is going on?_

* * *

 **So, um… I'm back!**

 **So, my first attempt at a falling star story was kind of poor. If you guys know me, this isn't my first story exactly. I made another one which I won't talk about because it's too embarrassing and if some of you are people that came from the first story… uh… sorry?**

 **I had a lot of work that had to be done, and I couldn't bother to try and write the other chapters, plus that category was pretty intimidating, so I deleted it. But I was determined not to give up! I watched tons of other movies and shows to see what a falling star story could work with… Then I found it!**

 **First of all, Hilda is amazing. I love this show to death! To the characters, world, and mystery it presents. Everything about the show was top quality work. Even after I finished the show, I couldn't stop thinking about it while at school, home, anywhere else. It invaded my thoughts so much that I just had to write some of my ideas out onto fanfiction.**

 **So here it is. Falling Star – Hilda! I hope you all enjoy!**


	2. Woffs

_**?/?/? –** **Nighttime**_

 _I found an empty journal in the backpack I was carrying! I don't know what I was thinking of not looking into it sooner, but I had other things on my mind. I got bored later and decided to check if anything was inside, and there was! I found a few pencils, tons of drawing essentials, and a couple of notebooks. I checked each one to see if there was something inside them, but nothing. So, I'm putting them to good use._

 _I don't know what I'll exactly put in here, and I might not write much inside this thing, but I'd rather record my progress then just keep it to myself. Besides, I'm bored._

 _For a few hours, the creature and I flew around in the sky. I tried to see what its face looked like, but I didn't want to risk falling off it so I didn't attempt to do so. There wasn't much for me to do other than to think about where I was and what was going on, but I didn't want to think about it so I tried to daydream about eating candy corn instead._

 _I could practically taste it in my mouth…_

 _I didn't find out much, however. As we flew around, all I saw in the distance were trees, mountains, and more rivers. Nothing to exactly find out where I was, which stinks of course. I think though that I must be getting closer to the sea since rivers and lakes were getting more frequent around the area._

 _The pain in my head didn't vanish completely, but has since slowly dimmed…_

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

The pencil lied still on the paper as I looked at the word "dimmed". Somehow that struck a chord with me because I could feel a tinge of sadness in my body. I don't know why exactly since I still couldn't remember a single thing about my past, but the word just brought me despair.

The breeze around me almost made it impossible to write as the paper flapped away, so I closed the notebook and hurriedly put it in my bag which contained a few notebooks, pencils, and a few drawing supplies which I probably won't ever need. I don't know why my kidnappers would still let me keep it if they were trying to get rid of me unless they had no need for it either.

I know that it might not have been kidnappers who did this. Maybe I just somehow woke up in the sky, or just tripped off an airplane, or something else I can't think of yet. Kidnappers though seem to make the most sense though, so I guess I'm sticking with that logic instead.

I'm still wondering if the bag I hold is my school backpack. I know for a fact that I'm twelve, so I must have attended school before I came here. I don't know why I would only bring three notebooks to school though.

Slinging the straps over my shoulders, I sat quietly as the wind blew by me. The moon looms in the distance as it shines its rays on me. It looks like a normal Earth moon, but I've never seen creatures like the one I'm sitting on that have ever lived on Earth.

Whatever the case is, I'm glad the creature likes me or somewhat cares about me since it hasn't flung me aside ever since I accidentally landed on it. It could have just turned around and let me fall, but it either purposefully went out of its way to save me, or I just somehow landed onto it with the greatest luck in the world.

I don't think I ever thanked it for stopping me from falling, which seems a bit rude of me. I might not remember who my parents are, but I bet they taught me to learn good manners. I should have thanked it the moment I landed onto it, and here I am just writing down random stuff without even thinking about the animal.

So, I carefully turn around and get near its circular-shaped ear, covered in fluffy fur. I struggle to find the right words to say, and I don't even know if this thing can understand human language, but I open my mouth and force it out anyway.

"Hey," I croak out, realizing I've never spoken up until this point, "I don't know if you can understand this… but I wanted to say thanks… for saving me from falling to my death."

I don't expect it to do anything, but shockingly it's eyes move up, staring at me. My blood ran ice cold as I stare back at its warming eyes. I didn't even expect it to notice me, so now that it did, I instantly decided not to move an inch. We don't do anything but look at each other silently. I don't know how it's not crashing into anything while it does this, but I guess there aren't a lot of obstacles in the sky.

The creature looks down after staring at me for a concerningly long time. I try not to sigh in relief as that would be rude and again… good manners. It was very cool and worrying that the creature did in fact respond, and now I wonder if it can actually understand me.

Before I can stop myself, I start speaking to it again.

"Do you… understand me in some way?"

The creature looks up again, and while I take great care not to get to close to its eyes, I could see something in them. Something comforting that I can't quite place. Even if I can't tell what it is, its eyes relaxed me and made me almost forget about the thousand feet fall I had earlier.

"It seems like you can," I say, "so are you okay if I just stay on you for a little bit longer before I find a safe place to drop? If that's okay with you of course."

It didn't respond, but continued flying without shaking me off, which felt like a good sign at least.

Seeing as the animal wouldn't kill me or fling me off its… back or head, I continued talking to it since no one else was around for me to make conversation with. Even though it didn't respond, only occasionally glancing up at me, it felt good to talk about the things on my mind.

"Do you know where we are exactly?" I asked, "I mean I've bet you've lived here for a while, so you must know the different towns and stuff right?"

It glanced up at me for a bit before looking down and continuing to glide through the air.

"In fact, how long have you lived here" I continued, "I don't really know how you work… like, what's your anatomy like? How do you fly? Do you travel alone or in groups?"

The ears of the animal perked up the moment I asked the last question. It glanced back up at me with its huge eyes as the wind blew around us.

"Oh," I say, "You travel in a group?"

A moment passed before the animal looked down and started to make a sound I can't describe. Whatever sound it made pierced through the air and around the land. I had to cover my already sore ears to try and partially block out some of the sounds. It muffled some of it, but I could hear the loud high-pitched hum the creature made as we continued to fly wherever we were going at this point.

Then there was silence. The only thing I could sort of hear were the birds darting off the trees in a panic due to the noise. Other then that though, the animal was silent, looking around with its eyes for something. I didn't say a word either, maybe in shock that the creature was capable of making a sound, or in curiosity trying not to disturb whatever it would do next.

Then I heard it making the sound again, except it didn't come from the animal that I was on. Shocked, I turned around to see…

 _Another one of those things?!_

Right beside us was another type of orb-like animal, the same color fur, same floppy ears, same wavy tail. It must have been the same animal because it looked exactly like the one I was on. I watched as it continued the make the noise coming from its mouth and trying my best to block it out.

Not even three seconds later, another one appeared right beside me. I almost stumbled back in surprise until I remembered where I was and latched onto the animal's fur. There were two of them now, which must mean others are coming soon.

Just on cue, more of them did come, flying right overhead and making a louder sound then I can even comprehend. Huge yellow orbs surrounded us as we flew above the woods, and deeper into the night. It kind of sucked for my ears, but it actually was really cool to see all of these other "orbs" flying around, which is what I will now call them since they looked like orbs flying and calling them creature and animal doesn't seem right anymore.

They probably have a more legit name for them in this world, but I haven't made it there yet.

Anyway, the orbs flew perfectly in synch with each other as we traveled through the air. None of them broke apart from one another, and whenever an orb did move somewhere different, the entire fleet moved right with them.

"I guess this answers my question huh?" I say looking down at the orb I was currently on.

It didn't respond, but I could notice the slight smile it had on its mouth.

I don't know if they know where they're going, or if they're just flying around because why not, but deep inside my gut, I believed that they somehow do, and hopefully that place allows me to find some help.

There wasn't really much I could do except watch in awe at the orbs. None of them seemed to pay much attention to me as they were focused flying around.

Except for one playful one with a black streak of fur that came way to close to my face then I would like it to be. It had a very shiny and excited look in its eyes as it examined me closely. I didn't know how to respond so I just reached out slowly to touch the black streak of fur that it had, which contrasted very much to rest of the yellow fur.

I touched the soft streak of black fur and immediately thought I was done for due to the Orb shaking slightly. Clenching my teeth, I braced for the orb to crash into me, only to hear it making some sort of sound. It seemed to like it, as there was a sort of dreamy look in its eyes as I softly petted it. I made sure to pet the orb softly while holding onto tightly to the orb I was still on.

For a few moments, time was freezing as my hand glided across the fur of the animal. It was so soft, and there was so much of it too. I almost didn't want to let go until eventually, he flew off to join some of his orb buddies, but the warmth and the softness of the fur still lingered on the top of my fingertips. I didn't move a muscle as I watched the colony of orbs soar silently together. They almost looked majestic in the moonlight.

Without thinking, I quickly pulled out my notebook, grabbed a few pencils and pens, and started to sketch the orbs around me. It wasn't hard since they had a simplistic design, but I took great care to try and capture every detail I could. The floppy ears, the wavy tail, the huge eyes.

The fur was the hardest part as I drew more and more of the orb. Everything else was simple, but I wanted to try and make the fur feel special. I curved and softened the lines to make the fur feels just as soft as it was in real life. I tried to mix in a lot of patches of fur, while also having single detailed pieces. I even decided to add a black streak to the orb in the first page of the entire notebook.

It almost felt impossible to do it with the wind blowing in my face, and it almost was, since I had to rip out multiple pages and fling them aside. However, I managed to actually finish on the sixth try.

It felt good to see the drawings. Even though it was drawings from this place, it somehow reminded me of the world before this, the world before I could fly with orb-like creatures.

* * *

 **Hilda**

The misty moon shined brightly above the city of Trolberg, casting an ominous type of aura onto the streets. The neighborhoods were dead silent as the night passed over them, with most citizens already turning into bed after a hard day. Some of the critters around the city quickly and efficiently found a place to hole into for the night, while others just sat outside and watched the stars move on by.

Hilda was in her bedroom, watching the same brightly lit stars from her window. There wasn't enough light out tonight to conceal them. As a result, millions of stars were sprinkled in the night, some of them brighter than others, but all of them yet the same. If it was anyone else looking at them, they might have taken a picture, or just admired them from afar.

However, Hilda wasn't just admiring them, she was studying them closely, seeing if there was any pattern to be held within the stars. She didn't own a telescope or binoculars, so she resorted to just watching them very closely, counting how many stars seemed to be out of place from the rest. It seemed like an impossible task, but Hilda continued to do so anyway, not being able to shake the words the old lady said from her head.

" _BEWARE OF THE FALLING STAR HILDA! IT WILL COME AN BRING YOU MIS-"_

The words continued to echo in her mind, even when she attempted to fall asleep. Hilda knew that it could have just been some old loon spewing out nonsense, but then why did she have such sadness and sorrow in her eyes? Hilda could have sworn she had seen it, even when they were running away from her, Hilda could see it clearly in her old worn eyes.

There were other things that Hilda thought were weird too. Everybody hated somethings, but Hilda could tell that the women had an unusual hatred for birds. The broken birdhouse, the ripped-up bird parade poster thrown onto her front porch. Even the bird bath was shattered and strewn across the lawn. Hilda also could remember the woman using a broom to try and chase her and her friends away. She couldn't have only used that to shoo away children, right? She must have used that broom for other things besides cleaning.

Which seemed like she never did, due to the fact that her house was a complete and utter mess.

As the clock ticked on by, Hilda continued to star gaze. The stars never moved, but they twinkled in the darkness.

A part of Hilda tinged with sadness as she watched the sky. It reminded her too much of her old home in the wilderness. Seeing all the brightly lit stars conjured up memories of when she used to see millions of them in her old home. She could remember opening her window and watching the stars brightly light up the forest below as woffs drifted on by.

More memories appeared in her mind as she thought of all the things she used to do. While Trolberg was a fine place to be, the wilderness was always Hilda's true home. Far away from everyone, doing her own thing, having her own adventures. She's learned to adapt to her new life in Trolberg quite well in the past year, but there was still some part of her that urged to be in the forest again.

Maybe one day she would return, maybe one day she could find herself running around in the place she could call home.

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

 _Everything was dark again, and I could feel kind of woozy. My mind was spinning in tons of different directions as pressure increased in my smashed head. I couldn't open my eyes, they were so heavy it felt like trying to lift a fuel tanker. I felt weary, and everything was just a mess. Everything hurt. Everything was very hurt._

 _Maybe I fell off the orb, and I landed on some rocks, I thought, Or maybe the orb thing got tired of me and started to eat me alive._

 _I probably should have been more alert and terrified of this feeling I now had. However, I felt so warm, everything was so warm. I must have been wrapped in a blanket it was so warm. I could feel myself slipping from something, I don't know what it was, maybe my bed? Maybe I was back home and very sick, all of that stuff about the orbs and falling through the sky? Just a dream. I knew it was a dream, I just didn't trust my gut at first._

 _I attempted to call out to my parents, they must have been monitoring me right? They wouldn't let their sick son get worse right, because that was what I was feeling. Much, much worse now._

 _I felt something warm dripping down my nose, maybe snot? It tickled then, it tickled my skin on the way down to my mouth. It felt like it was pricking me but making me laugh every time. I need a napkin, it feels so gross, and thick. The snot feels warm and thick, and it's dripping down, down, down._

 _It's… dripping…_

I snapped my head back up so fast I'm pretty sure I almost broke a bone. The weary feeling I once had instantly vanished when my eyes popped open, and I could feel the pressure in my head cease away. Everything was cold again, no longer warm like in my dream, but that was okay because I just realized how much I preferred the cold over the heat. Much better keep yourself occupied with something else other than sweating.

None of the other orbs that were flying with us last night were there, they all have seemed to have gone by the time I passed out. The only orb that was still present was the one I was sitting on, who also seems to be very content with letting me stay on him. I don't know how it puts up with me, considering I'm sweating on him, sitting on his head, touching his fur. If I was him I would probably be annoyed at this point, but this guy looks okay with everything I've done so far, so I'll be as grateful as I can.

Rubbing my eyes, I looked around to realize that the sun has risen. The moon was still faintly visible in the sky, but the sun was coming up and getting rid of all the stars that once occupied the area. The orange glow cast onto the land below, reaching me and the flying orb quickly. The warm rays it produced almost made me moan with pleasure since my frozen fingers were finally getting heated up.

I love the cold, but sometimes heat can be a lifesaver.

The feeling didn't stop though. As the sun continued to warm me up, I could feel something hot dripping down my nose, just like my dream, only this time it felt really thick and big. It tickled my skin and annoyed me to the point where I used the sleeve of my jacket to wipe some of the snot away.

Only it wasn't snot, it was blood. A lot of blood.

I've never experienced a nosebleed before, so this should have been a cool thing to witness. However, I was panicking the moment I saw the red outline on my jacket. I touched the bottom of my nose with my finger and pulled it away to find deep red liquid running down my nails. My body shook as I felt more of the blood run down my nose.

I was shaking, my body was moving an awful lot, way too much for my comfort. I had no idea what to do other than to cover my nose with my hand, but that would just make a bigger mess and cause the orb to have blood on its fur. Not to mention I could get blood on my notebooks and bag.

So, I tried the next best thing, my jacket. It did keep me warm, but besides the notebooks, it was the second most expendable thing on me. I quickly took the thing off and place it right under my nose. I couldn't breathe through it, but I could breathe with my mouth, so at least I wasn't suffocating myself to death. The jacket effectively stopped the blood from dripping down, however, I had to constantly hold it with one hand and use the other to keep myself steady on the orb or I would fall off.

Either way though, it was better than nothing.

I carefully moved myself over to the backpack I had to see if there was a gauze, or napkins, or towels that might have been hiding somewhere deep inside to help me stop the bleeding. There was nothing, only the notebooks sitting there quietly.

Now that I think about it, I might have to report this onto my journal when I get the chance.

It was hard to move around with the jacket blocking half of my vision, so I had to carefully maneuver my way around the orbs body. Which was hard because it was, well… you know… an orb. I somehow managed though and was able to hold on with my jacket 12 inches deeper into my nose. I couldn't see much of the area very well, but I was able to watch the sun continue to rise, no longer producing an orange glow, and instead making a bright yellow aura. This must have been signaling that the day had finally come.

Countless thoughts flowed through my mind, but I chose to ignore them. I wasn't going to get any answers anyway until I found another town, or home, or even a city. Until then though, I'm stuck In the sky.

"I wonder how much longer I'm going to have to stay in this place," I said silently.

No one was around to hear me, except the orb who didn't respond anyway, but I was afraid to say it out loud. I don't know why, but I just had a sinking feeling appearing in my stomach. With me falling from the sky to having my nose bleed and my head in constant pain, I felt like this could be more than a kidnapping.

Although the question still arises, what is really going on?

I thought on the question for hours. As the sun rose higher in the sky, I pondered on everything that happened. My nose kept bleeding and didn't show any sign of stopping. Although the jacket helped, I was half tempted to fling it aside. It was annoying to have to hold it up all the time and have to cling onto the orb as well. I didn't have anything else to stop the bleeding other than my backpack and notebooks, which I wasn't going to do, and there was no way I was about to use the fur of this poor guy to try and block the bleeding.

So, my nose continued to bleed as we flew around the air. I kept my eyes peeled for any types of structures or buildings in the distance, but yet, I found nothing. No cities, or towns, not even cabins in the woods. It seemed like there was nothing but wilderness for thousands and thousands of miles. I wanted to keep my hopes up, but eventually, I started to worry about my situation.

 _Was I really alone?_

That's what I thought for a while as the hour ticked by…

Until I finally spotted something.

We were low toward the forest, so it was kind of hard to see over the mountains, but I could have sworn I saw a tower. Maybe a skyscraper? Just a really tall building? What was it?

Maybe we were close to a city!

"Hey, bud!" I called out to the orb below, "Can we speed up? I think I saw something!"

The orb appeared to ignore me but I noticed a quick change in speed. It was going faster, to the point where the forest below us became a blur. The wind started to pick up, and before I knew it we were flying upward. Confused, I attempted to ask the orb why we were going up until I realized we would get a better look high above the mountains. That made a lot more sense than just flying it to whatever this place was, so I decided to clutch tightly onto the orbs fur and prayed silently that he wouldn't let me fall to my death.

Cold air surrounded me in an instant. My backpack was tightly secured on my back, but I glanced every so often to make sure it didn't fly off me. My jacket flapped widely with the breeze and hit me multiple times in the face. I could still feel my nose pouring out with warm red blood. I looked down quickly to find myself way higher then I'd like to be. The idea that orbs could go this high up into the sky never crossed my mind before.

It was getting colder, to the point where I regretted not using my jacket to protect me. The only piece of warmth I found myself with was my bloody nose heating up the skin above my mouth. The wind rushed by me at a ridiculous pace. Did orbs fly this fast? I thought they just glided through the air...

Then, all at once everything stopped.

It was cold, but there was no more wind. I felt the orbs fur, but it was no longer moving. I could feel the blood on my skin, but it was no longer pouring out of my nose. It seemed like time stopped for just a moment. I took that moment to open my eyes.

There was a city, a huge city filled with buildings and towers. There appeared to be skyscrapers in the middle of everything, except that they had slanted roofs on the tops of them instead of flat ones. Toward the edge of the city, the buildings became smaller, almost like houses. Then there were the walls, that spammed hundreds of miles surrounding the city. It enclosed the entire area inside it, towering over the neighborhoods and parks.

My eyes were tearing up, my vision blurred. I couldn't even feel the orbs fur anymore as I watched the city in front of me. It was huge, there had to be people living there. Someone could help me! I didn't even care about any of the strange qualities the city held, like the huge wall, and the slanted roofs on the towers. All I cared about was getting there instantly.

"We need to get there," was all I said, "we have to get their buddy."

He didn't even hesitate and quickly started to fly toward the huge city towering over the land.


	3. Trolberg

**_?/?/? – Daytime_**

 _After a full day stuck in this strange world, I finally found sight of a city. Me and my "orb" friend (that's what I call these circular flying animals) are approaching it right now._

 _The city seems off though. For starters, there's a huge wall surrounding it, which I don't think cities need that much. There are also tons of "skyscrapers" that have roofs on them. Not to mention how crowded the streets look._

 _I honestly don't care that much however. All I want is to find someone to help me answer the questions I've been having. Maybe they don't know about me, but maybe they'll be compelled enough to take care of me so I can figure out what to do next._

 _The biggest problem I have though is leaving my orb buddy behind. He really made good company, and he saved my life from falling to my death. I wish I could do something more than just say thank you to him, but I will have to leave him soon without ever knowing his real name. I wish he could come with me, but I suppose I have to let him go though. He's an animal, and he has places to be, with orb creatures to fly with, and migrations he must complete. I'm grateful for all he's done-_

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

My writing is interrupted when suddenly the orb stops in its tracks, causing me to almost fly off him before I latch on tightly to his fur. I hold onto my journal until everything settles down again and I can relax.

I shift my gaze over to my new friend, to see his huge eyes stare at something. We are no longer moving, but instead silently levitating in the air, right above a huge grassy area. Where in the world are we? By the city perhaps?

I look up, and to my shock, I see the huge, colossal wall in front of me. Being so close to it reveals the details I could not see while up in the sky. Huge and jagged cracks have appeared, wrapping itself around bricks. Tiny bits of vines and moss have appeared, crawling its way down the edges of the colossal structure. The chiseled bricks stare back at me and the orb silently.

This is definitely the wall that surrounds the city, however I can't see it. Maybe we're too low?

"Hey buddy," I say to my new friend, "can you maybe fly up a little bit, I think we're too far down the wall to see anything."

It doesn't take long before I fell the orb begin to fly up above the wall. I grip onto the fur as the wind gets stronger the higher we go. The walls details begin to blur again. I can start to see the rooftops of some of the skyscrapers now-

"LOOK OUT KID!" something shouts.

Before I have time to process what that means and who said it, something SMACKS right into my face. It's small but big enough to cover my eyesight and make me tumble backward. Pain and confusion sweep across my body as the object frantically moves around me. It's soft, and I feel feathers. Did I just get hit by a bird?

"WHAT IN THE-" I scream.

But I don't have enough time to say anything because as soon as the animal hit me, I started to slide off the orb!

My brain freezes and everything starts to go crazy. I scream and shoved whatever the things was off my face. Desperately I reached out for the fur of the orb, but all I could feel was cold air of nothing as I tumbled to the woods below. The wind flew pass my body as I fell, reminding me of the horrible moment I had a day ago when I first woke up. I could see the wall fly past me, and huge trees (now looking like huge spikes) coming toward me quickly.

I'm actually panicking, I want to scream, or freak out, but I quickly know there was no getting out of this, so I closed my eyes, hoping for the death to be quick.

Everything felt electrifying slow, and I heard a huge blast behind me. Sparks flew past me and suddenly, I could feel a huge presence above me, and I gasped as I was pulled back into the air, avoiding the top of one of the trees. I hear the huge beating of wings taking flight. My shirt tightly presses against my chest, and I feel claw-like feet digging into my jacket. I started to scream and thrash around, causing pain to appear in my torso. Whatever just grabbed me must have been huge because I couldn't escape its grasp.

I couldn't find out what it was, because as my nose soon started to pour out with blood, I passed out limply in the sky

* * *

 **A few hours later...**

My eyes flung open, and the first thing I realized was that my head was in the worst pain I could ever experience. I clutched my face and tried to press down against my skull to stop the raging headache crawling over my brain. It didn't work, if anything my attempt made my head feel worse afterword.

The next thing I noticed was that my nose was no longer bleeding. There was a still a thin stream of blood crawling down my skin, but it was nothing like the gushing river that it was when I was at the wall, falling to my death.

My head felt fuzzy, which made it hard to remember what happened. All I knew was that I was over a really big wall before I fell off the orb. Then something caught me before I could get killed and must have dropped me off here. I can still feel the claws in my back.

I don't know where I am though, and I don't know what that thing was that saved me. What else in this strange place could carry a human child with ease?

Questions raced through my mind as I struggled to stand up. I leaned on a trashcan for support to steady my balance. My eyes were blurry and all I could see was a street in front of me. There is no more wind around me, so I can't be flying. So where am I?

I look around, and slowly come to the realization that I am no longer with my orb buddy in the sky, but rather in the city! I stood up in a flash when I found out and whirled around to take in everything. Everywhere I looked there was housing, trees, streets. Everything a normal city had.

And a normal city must have had people who could help me find out where I am!

I didn't hesitate and ran to the nearest house I could. I staggered my way over to the porch and shakily climbed the steps. It was a small, brown, house that only had one floor. Might be shady, but I didn't care who lived there, as long as they could help me, that's all I needed. I started to pound on the door to the house.

"HELLO! HELLO! CAN YOU HELP ME!" I called out.

Mind frantic, breathing ragged, I wasn't thinking at all and it took me four knocks to realize how insane and desperate I must have sounded at that door. The person would never open the door for a maniac like that, and I didn't want people's first impression of me to be negative, that's not how my parents raised me, or at least I think that's how they raised me.

So I decided to lightly knock this time and no longer scream like a crazy person.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?"

No one answered, causing my anxiety to take over.

"Anyone there?" I called out again.

Whoever owned the place didn't answer my cries, so I tried one more time.

The door slammed open and I stumbled back shocked. My head was pounding in pain as I fell over onto the ground, but I forced myself to look up at the owner of the home.

The adult was a man, very big and tall. He was bald and was wearing a white tank top and some shorts. He didn't seem happy to see me at all, because before I could open my mouth, he started to yell at me.

"It's you again! I already told you to never come back to my house with your stupid signatures! Tell Raven leader to stop bothering us people with her tedious badges!"

I look up in confusion as he slams the door shut. I could hear the click of the lock and that was that. I lied there on the ground for a bit before I left the house and stood in the street dazed. My hands started to shake, and I couldn't stop my rapid breathing. I wanted to slap myself in the face to try and calm myself down, but I couldn't. I stood there as my heart began to beat faster.

The first human person I ever meet, I ever hear, and there already yelling at me like I'm a criminal? Why? What was he talking about? Who is Raven leader?

I thought about the man's reaction a bit more before I eventually slapped myself.

 _It's okay,_ I try to think to myself, _it's okay Eric, there are plenty of other houses in the neighborhood I can ask for help in. I only knocked at one house and met one guy. I didn't do the others, just go up to the others and ask for help, and they will._

I nodded in agreement with myself. I had to stay calm and just ask another person for help. It wasn't the end of the world because one person didn't want me to talk to them. I just needed to go to another house and ask for help. That's all.

Breathing in deeply, I walked down the dead street in search of another house to try and find help in.

* * *

I was having trouble breathing.

Maybe it was because I was silently freaking out over the number of houses and apartments I went to where no one answered me. I've been through about a hundred give or take and no one has even attempted to open the door for me. The only other interaction I had with an adult in this city so far was with a woman, who peeked out of her curtain to look at me before deciding to check the locks to make sure I couldn't get in.

It doesn't mean that I didn't see other people besides her, it just meant that everyone I saw avoided me completely or paid no attention to me at all. I've seen adults on the street walk right passed me or avoid a glance with me for some strange reason. I had no idea why no one would approach me. At first, I thought it was because they knew I was different and came from the sky instead of the Earth or something. Maybe my presence was revealed to them before I arrived at this city and they were avoiding me for that reason?

I couldn't find a logical explanation until I passed a mirror shop that just so happened to be closed so I couldn't go inside, but they did display mirrors outside and I finally saw myself. I looked completely crazy, with my nose all bloody, my jacket wrinkled and worn, and my hair all messy and tangled. My skin was so pale that it revealed dark circles under my eyes and my face looked something out of a Tom Savini styled mask.

No wonder people didn't approach me, I already look crazy enough.

There wasn't a public restroom nearby, so I was forced to walk through the city streets looking like a madman. No one came up to me, so I sometimes tried to talk to the people. I would go up to them and ask for help, but they just quickly walked away and ignored my pleading. No one seemed to want to deal with me which was weird all in itself.

I hated having people ignore me, like I didn't need help. My nose was bleeding, I was dirty, and I was a kid on the streets alone. Is it common in this messed-up place that kids go out alone in public without adult supervision? I mean come on, even my orb friend looked out for me no matter what happened. He always made sure I didn't fall off him from a thousand feet. It seems like these people are okay with children going out on with no explanation.

Soon, I just stopped walking to quiet neighborhoods and just went to populated areas to see if anyone would help me. It was clear the adults there didn't want anything to do with me so I didn't bother wasting my time on them and tried to see if anyone outside would give me some info. I started at some of the parks where there were a lot of kids playing around. None of the adults talked to me like I thought they would, but some kids actually did approach me, only to ask if I would join a game they were playing.

The next place I went to was the bell towers which loomed over me in an antagonizing presence. There were so many bell towers around the city, and it was weird to see them everywhere. It only furthered my suspicion that this place wasn't really my Earth, because normal cities don't have bell towers everywhere in sight.

No one was around at the bell towers, so I finally went to what I assume was a popular street because there was a lot of colorful and cheerful posters everywhere. Confetti laid on the ground in muted oranges and light browns, and people all around me talked excitedly about something. It must have been a parade, but for who, and when were they starting it? I knew that I probably should have focused on looking for help, but the floats mesmerized me, and for some reason, I couldn't wait to see what all of this was about. What's weird though was that there were huge floats that had colorful confetti statues of birds, or what looked like a raven.

What in the world do people celebrate in this place?

Music blared loudly and people danced, talked, and laughed as they ate. It was only two o clock, so I don't know what they were celebrating. With so much going on, I was afraid to go up to anyone as they all seemed to be doing their own thing, but I eventually forced myself to go up and talk to people.

Not many people wanted to talk to me, and most of them scoffed and walked away. I felt like I was in a high school drama movie as adults looked over, pointed, and then went away. It felt weird to be treated weirdly.

I quickly went up to a lady. She was tall, had long black wavy hair, and wore a cape made out of fake feathers? She also wore a bird mask and seemed to be chatting with someone. Besides her fashion sense being weird, she seemed nice, so I tugged on her cape. She turned to me and I almost had a hard attack when she started to talk to me.

"Hello there," she said calmly as she kneeled down to my level, "are you lost?"

I almost burst out crying, wanting to say-

 _OF COURSE I'M LOST, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE THE HECK I AM FOR THE PAST TWO HOURS AND NO ONE HAS EVEN TALKED TO ME!_

But instead, I said something a little bit more normal sounding.

"Uh, y-yeah I am. Do you know what this place is called?"

She looked at me and then her eyes widened when they landed on my face.

"Oh my goodness! What happened to your face? You poor thing!"

"What-" I started to say, but the women was already pulling out napkins to wipe my nose.

"Did you fall? Did someone hit you? Does it hurt?"

I realized she must have been talking about my bloody nose. It was no longer bleeding, but the blood had dried and it looked like I had a permanent gash on my nose.

"Oh no, it's okay. I get these occasionally." I say.

"Occasionally?" she asked, "you should really go see doctor honey. They stop things like that from happening."

"I know. Anyway, can you just please tell me where I am. I kind of have no idea what's even going on."

She smiles tenderly and pointed at one of the polls which held multiple signs.

"Well, right now you're at Alication square. It's quite a busy place right now because of the parade so -"

I cut her off.

"No, I didn't mean the square, I meant what is this city called?"

"Wait, you mean you don't live here?" she asked questioningly.

"Yes," I managed not to shout.

I really wanted to start screaming at the women now, it's such a simple question and I needed answers, but I somehow managed to keep my voice down though so I didn't sound too pathetic. She stared at me for a bit before shaking her head.

"You're in currently in Trolberg. It used to be a troll stomping ground, but some people built over it a long time ago and installed a wall to keep them out. It's quite a big place, and I don't know why a child like you is out here by yourself? Where are your parents?"

I sigh in relief, finally, I know the name of this place at least. Trolberg, what a weird name. It doesn't sound like any city I've heard of, which is kind of hard to question because I've forgotten every major city that has ever existed due to my memory loss.

However, this still just brings up more questions, especially after all the things the women told me. What were trolls? How does the wall keep them out? Why haven't they attacked the city yet? What was this parade for? I knew I needed answers, and I don't think this woman was going to give me anymore after she found out I didn't live here and I'm alone.

Still, I decided to ask more questions before attempting to leave.

"Who's this parade for?" I say ask, "Why are there bird floats and outfits everywhere?"

The woman looks confused and touched my shoulders gently.

"Sweetie, do you know where your parents are? Are they here?"

"No, they're not here," I sat out loud before realizing my mistake, "They're at home for the moment. In fact, I have to go back now."

"I thought you said you don't live here." She countered.

Backed myself into a corner, didn't I? She stares at me accusingly now, and a person I thought was a great help a second ago, quickly turns to my greatest fear of getting caught by authorities.

"I need to know where your parents are honey. You absolutely cannot-"

"Sorry, I got to go!" I scream and practically fling myself away from her.

"Wait!" She calls out, "What's your name!"

I don't answer her and run straight into a huge crowd by the floats. My mind swirls with thoughts as I enter the horde of people probably going to work. Millions of feet surrounded me as I try to push through. I get kneed in the face, a boot pressed against my hand, someone even bumps into me harshly causing me to fall over.

My nose starts to bleed again.

"Someone stop that child!" the women calls out

Fear consumes me, and I pound, push, and struggle my way through the adults, but I'm almost dragged back into the wave multiple times. It's so much harder to move then I thought, especially with the adults besides me, watching me with their accusing eyes.

One of them even tries to grab me, but I'm too quick and slip right under their arms.

I eventually make it out of the other side and run down a dark and dirty looking alleyway, away from all the bright, cheerful colors for whatever parade their planning.

It's almost been a full two hours in _Trolberg_ , and I can say confidently that it already sucks.

* * *

 **Five Hours Later**

* * *

The outskirts of Trolberg is the final place I go to before I rest.

There's nothing but forest and a couple of farms out here, and those are guarded tightly by the wall I guess. Nobody is out here to help me, and I think even if I found someone, they wouldn't tell me anything anyway. No one has now, so why would it be different out here?

I only was able to stop and talk to three people after I left the women in Alication square, and they didn't reveal much. They told me that there was some big event going on they didn't know about and that Trolberg is surrounded by trolls and other strange animals. One woman said that there are creatures called salt lions by the dock, and I should avoid those at all times.

And I used to think orbs were weird.

Now I sit alone on a broken tree stump in a clearing by the woods. It has a perfect view of the city, where I can see the skyscrapers with their weird roofs shimmering in the sun. Behind me is the humongous wall that surrounds the entire place, trapping everyone inside, including me.

It's such a gorgeous location that I try to draw the city in my journal from the clearing, but the lines are never straight, and I keep tearing out pages. Besides, I hate the adults in this place so much that I don't think I even want to draw this city. I know it's the only place I can get answers from, but no one has given them to me at all.

After my tenth failed attempt at drawing Trolberg, I rip the page angrily and throw it into the woods. My breathing is hard, and my eyes water, causing me to squint and allow a tear to drop. Slumping back down at the stump, I begin to do something I am surprised I didn't do earlier when all of this started.

I start to cry.

First, it's one tear, then another, and then they just come pouring out. My throat chokes and Is snot builds up in my bloody nose. My face hurts, but I let the tears fall and cry in the forest. No one's around to watch me so at least I don't look like a total loser, but I still feel horrible.

As I cry, I start to think of them, my mother and father. Even though I barely know them, I miss my parents. I miss them so much that it hurts to breathe whenever I think about them. I'm sure they would never have acted like the adults here. I bet they're kind and gentle toward kids, not rude and harsh like the others were today.

I'm positive there out there, somewhere, looking for me, but how can you find someone who might be in a different reality? I've never seen orbs in my world, and I know for sure I've never had "salt lions" swimming in the oceans. None of these things existed in the reality I know of, I'm sure of it.

But now, I have to wonder if my parents even exist. Maybe I'm an orphan, and my guardians dropped me off someplace, which just so happened to be near Trolberg. Maybe I did have parents, but they got rid of me and wiped my mind so I couldn't face the pain. I don't know, I really don't. All I know is that I'm alone in this place and that my only friend has probably left to fly with his friends far away from me.

I wish I had my parents, I even wish I had my orb friend with me

I miss them so much.

I just wish they were here right now.

* * *

In the distance, the sun starts to set. I can already see it casting an orange glow in the sky

The city of Trolberg looks so peaceful from up in the forest, and it almost looks like a nice place to live in if I wasn't so mad about what happened. I've sat here for about two hours, crying, and drawing in my journal so far. I've written down everything that happened today in there and then put it away. I have the urge to take it out, but I'm forcing myself to plan my next move.

It's hard to come up with one though, even though it's quiet and no one is around to bother me. My head still hurts from that accident I had over the wall with that animal. I still don't know what it could be, but I'm guessing it was a bird because it was flying, and if it was an orb that hit me then I probably would have died instead of falling.

Besides, that thing talked, and I _know_ orbs don't talk.

I just wish I knew what that thing was that hit me, and how it could talk. How could a bird talk? I don't know, I don't think I know anything anymore, especially after today.

Looking up, I watch as the sun in the distance starts to set completely, and soon the remaining glimmering light sinks into the dark sea. The clouds above me swirl to create a purplish color, and the city of Trolberg and its many buildings starts to turn their lights on for the night. I didn't know they had electricity here too, so I guess that's a nice surprise to witness.

It's a gorgeous sight, and the more I look at the scene in front of me, the more I realize how much I want to draw it. I quickly take my journal out of my bag, grab a few pencils and begin to sketch. I don't pay much attention to the paper and begin to focus on the city itself. I start to create the forest first, make the wide-open clearing, and then draw the buildings. I include the rugged bell towers, the skyscrapers with roofs, and the huge expansive ocean in between the mountains in my journal.

There are other things I include that aren't there, like the orbs that fly in a group over the city, or the salt lions in the sea far away. I make sure to carefully detail bright lights in Alication square to indicate that a parade is going on. I even start to design the neighborhoods on a tiny scale that dot the city. I make sure to add lines to certain places to show the shadow, and I shade part of the sky lightly to show the approaching night.

I don't think about how I draw the lines, or the depth of the buildings, I just draw and draw until it becomes too dark to see anything. I wish I could see the drawing, but there's so much darkness around me now, and I don't think Trolberg's light extends all the way out here.

I silently put the journal away in my bag when I'm done and attempt to go to sleep. You'd think laying on hard, uneven soil would make me restless all night, well the opposite was true. The moment my head hit the cold Earth, my eyes shut tighter than anything I could think of.

* * *

 _Everything is blurry again._

 _I look around and I realize I'm floating, I feel nothing under me at all. I force my eyes to open and find myself in a dark, empty space. Nothing is around me except tiny particles of what I assume to be dust. There's no one else but me, and only me._

 _Where am I?_

 _There's nothing to look at or comment on, so in what's probably a stupid act, I begin to push myself forward and fly deeper into the empty void. The further I go, the darker everything becomes, until I can no longer see the tiny dust around me. Things become fuzzy, and something warm drips down my face. I feel like my nose is bleeding again, but when I touch my nose and pull my hand back, there's nothing._

 _Am I in a dream?_

 _Floating is surprisingly not as fun as I thought it would be. Being completely weightless makes me feel like nothing like I have no control over my body. I can't get my legs to move right, and I'm completely at mercy to the way the void moves me. I drift for a few moments, perplexed by the situation I'm in._

 _ooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo_

 _Something is happening, but I can't tell what it is. I hear something… distant, something very distracting. It's chalky, and it kind of… sounds like static? It's piercing my ears with sound now, it's getting a bit louder._

 _OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo_

 _It becomes louder now. I feel the air around me, I feel something so much stronger than me wrap around my body. This doesn't make sense, where am I right now? Another dimension? What is going on?_

" _HELLO! IS ANYONE THERE!"_

 _My eyes shoot open. I hear a voice, but it's not just a voice. I feel like I know that voice. It sounds like a girl calling out, but who is it?_

 _I try and open my mouth to respond, but my throat starts to choke back. My eyes widen and the void flings me backward. I'm shocked as my throat begins to tighten, and I gasp for breath. My head is on fire, crawling around my brain, and slicing into it harshly. I flip in the air, trying to struggle out of whatever has me._

" _Where am I?" I hear the girl say again._

 _She doesn't know this place either. At least were in the same boat, but I don't pay much attention to her now, because I'm upside down. The hood of my jacket flies over my head and wraps itself around my face. My mouth won't open, and I can't scream out to the other person. What is happening?_

 _Something… bright happens. Light envelopes me, and I'm no longer in a dark void, but in a bright white one. My eyes shut due to the surprising brightness, and I try to block out the noise around me. Everything is screaming. What is even happening? Where do I go? Where is Trolberg?_

 _I want to run…_

 _The void, or whatever controls me in this place, forces me to turn around. I try to struggle against it…_

 _And then I see her._

 _There's a girl. She's floating, but unlike me, she is not restricted to the void's control. She seems confused and has no idea where she is, like me. She wears pajamas and looks to be about my age. But it's her bright blue hair that grabs my attention. Her hair practically glows in this place and whips around gracefully. There's an… aura that comes off of her, something I can't place._

 _I want to call out, to scream, to say anything to her, but the void keeps me silenced and pushes itself deeper into my throat. I'm struggling to breathe, and everything hurts. My jacket hoddie begins to conceal my face. The girl continues to float and look around shocked at where she is._

 _Then she turns toward me._

 _A lot of things happen at once. The first thing I notice is her reaction, and it's just what I expected. Her face shows surprise, confusion, everything a person who experiences in a place like this. I'm feeling the same emotions myself as I stare into her eyes. The next thing that happens is that the force that wrapped itself around me vanishes. I feel nothing no longer holding my body or wrapping itself around me. I'm back in control again, and I use this moment of control to scream out to her my name._

 _Except, the last thing that happens is when I open my mouth to speak to her, only for weird words that are not mine to come out in my voice._

" _Falling," is all I say._

 _Then my brain explodes._


	4. Trevor

**_?/?/? – Daytime - Location: Trolberg_**

 _Everything has changed so much ever since I was knocked off my orb buddy by that strange bird. For starters, I landed in a city called Trolberg that I don't know much about other than people here like to throw parades for something. The people here, or the adults at least, have been unnecessarily rude to me for no reason. I tried to ask people for help, but they either ignored me or just told me to go away. I did meet one woman who tried to help me find my parents, but I had to get away from her when she started to take me away. Then, I drew in my journal in the outskirts of Trolberg and went to sleep._

 _However, that isn't the end of the story. When I went to sleep last night, I had a dream, or at least I think I had a dream. I don't know if it was though because I remember everything about it so clearly. I was in a void, with nothing in it at all, and I began floating around. Then there was a strange noise that was being produced from somewhere, I can't really describe it. After the noise stopped, I heard a girl, I tried to call out to her, but the void stopped me. It felt like it was wrapping its tentacles in my throat to not speak or breathe._

 _Then I saw her, the girl I mean. She looked about my age, and she was wearing nightclothes, but what stood out to me was her bright blue hair. I don't think I've ever seen someone with dyed hair in this world yet, much less a kid ever dying it. She turned around, and for a second we made eye contact. She looked just as confused as I was, but not as terrified because something wasn't trying to enter her throat. I felt the presence of the void go away, and I tried to speak to her, but instead, I just said the word "Falling" and that's when I woke up._

 _I don't really know what else to put here now. After I woke up, I discovered I had a splitting headache after I had the dream and had to sleep it off for a bit before it went away. Then I decided to write all this down quickly before I forgot about it. It was such a strange experience though that I don't know how to explain all this to myself, or to anyone who is listening. I feel like there's something wrong with me, like ever since I woke up in the sky and started to fall to my death I was important. I feel like I've been missing something._

 _I know I have to find that girl I saw in my vision. She might hold the answers, or at least some of them._

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

It was chilly outside.

Cold frosty air appeared in my face, making me want to snuggle deeper into my worn jacket. My hands dug deeper into my pockets to try and warm my fingers. I even pulled up my hoodie to protect some of my face from the sharp wind that ran through the air.

It's been almost ten hours ever since I arrived in Trolberg, and I know just as much about the place as I did coming in. None of the adults helped me so far, and while a few were polite and tried to explain some things, most of them seemed to not want to talk to me at all.

Even though I was probably in another dimension or something, It all still felt so artificial to me. This whole world felt artificial. I mean, it feels real, but what kind of world has creatures like orbs, adults that are rude, and kids who go outside with anyone watching over them? It just doesn't make much sense to me.

I'm sure in my world these kinds of things didn't happen.

I'm still wondering how I even got into this place anyway. Even though I know it just adds more questions, I'm still trying to figure that out. I've kind of ruled out the kidnapping theory now because I'm sure missing posters of me would have popped up all over the city by now if someone took me from my home. Besides, I don't know any kidnapper who takes a kid, then takes a plane, and then throws that kid out of the plane to fall from the sky.

I sigh and turn right on the sidewalk, revealing a small empty park surrounded by trees. The trees themselves though are slowly losing all of their leaves, and the playground looks as dead as my optimism of finding anything out about myself or this place. There are swings and monkey bars kids can play on, but I don't feel like I'm in a giddy mood right now.

When I scan the park once more, I do find a nice-looking bench that I quickly decide to rest on. There's trash around the bench, complete with bags of empty containers, a couple of empty soda cans, and even a broken birdcage nearby. You'd think people here would be taught to clean up, but of course in this universe apparently not I guess.

Anyway, as I sit on the bench, I try to think of another plan or thing to do. At the moment, however, all I can think about is that blue-haired girl in my dream. Who was she and why was she there? I didn't know her name, but she must live here in this city, because I don't know what I would do if she lived on the other side of the planet. I also wonder if she could see me in that dream. If she could, then I must've looked crazy in her eyes, spinning around, struggling from an invisible force.

What if we were having the same dream and they intertwined somehow? Was she just a part of my imagination because I've been so lonely? No, she couldn't be, a part of me suggested heavily that she was real. She looked very familiar, but my brain was drawing a blank on who she was. I knew that I knew her from somewhere, but I just don't know her name yet, or where she lives, or anything about her at all.

Whatever the case may be, I know it will take a long time to find her in these conditions. I mean, I know what she looks like, but where am I supposed to find her? Maybe by the school because she's my age? I don't even know if it's the weekend or not in this world. I don't even know if this world _has_ weekends at all. All I know is that she must go to a school, and I have to find that school somehow and talk to her.

I guess that's a plan, but before I sit up and do that, I think about it a bit more. Won't I look like a creepy stalker kid trying to do that? It would be scary to see a kid who keeps coming back to the same school over and over again just staring at kids. I don't want her first impression of me to be creepy, but I don't know what else to do except that-

BAM! My heart freezes as I hear the sound of laughter approaching the park. The people who laugh sound like kids, like my age almost. That calms me down somewhat, but I still am a bit cautious as they approach. I watch as a boy in a bright orange jacket holds the gate open to let his two other friends in, and soon they all enter the park.

There are three of them in total, two boys and one girl. The boy holding the gate is wide and kind of smaller than the other two. He seems to wear glasses and looks like he's laughing about something with the girl. There's a girl there too, and she's taller than both of the boys. Her sweater is big enough that they cover up her hands. Then there's the other boy, who seems to upset about something with the others. He wears a knitted cap and an orange sweater as well. He looks about the same size as me, and I think he's the leader of the little group.

I don't have to peer in to listen to their conversation. They're talking to each other really loudly.

"I'm telling you! The bird talked! No one ever believes me though!" the kid in front says.

The two other kids snicker behind him about it.

"Well because what you say sounds absurd that's all." The boy says

"It's not absurd! It really did talk that day!" the other boy says.

"Trevor," the girl says jokingly, "that happened a year ago. Why are you still hung up on it?"

The boy, I guess Trevor, turns around to look at the girl in confusion.

"Why am I hung up about it? Because you guys keep bringing it up of course!"

"That's only because it's funny Trevor! You shouldn't be so upset about…" the boy says silently.

After that, Trevor just stomps over to a picnic table across from me and sits down.

"Whatever, I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Fine by me," the girl says.

The girl and boy sit down with him and begin chatting about something else I guess. I'm to hung up on that bird talking comment though that I don't hear them that much.

A talking bird? Well with the number of things that have happened to me so far, what the boy says doesn't sound completely crazy. I would definitely believe him if it weren't for the fact that his friends think it's completely bogus, which is confusing to me. Don't they live in a world where orbs and salt lions exist? How far fetched are talking birds then?

They don't notice me or even attempt to talk to me. They seem to be really invested in their conversation which doesn't bother me, I don't feel like talking much either. They laugh and poke fun at each other, and the girl constantly brings up that bird incident which makes Trevor silent at points.

After a bit, I stop paying attention to them and begin to draw the park. Trying to make it look as real as possible, I begin to start shading the tree to picture shadow in the scene. I add little lines to indicate bark, and little whips of barley visible squiggly lines to represent wind. I make sure to focus as much as I can on the huge tree in the middle of the park, as the bare branches and little amount of remaining leaves make an impressive monument.

"Where do you think Henry is? He's supposed to be meeting here right?" the short boy asks.

I had just started finishing shading the rocks that surround the tree when I turn my attention toward them again. They seemed to be waiting for someone, as they are constantly looking toward the gate and talking about someone named Henry.

"I bet he's sleeping in. It's way too cold out here, and he's probably snuggling in his warm bed by now."

"You mean he decided to skip out? What about all the awesome plans we made for today?"

Trevor shrugs and leans back on the picnic table.

"I guess will just have to do them without him."

The girl gets up and heads to the gate, seeming to want to get on with whatever they have planned immediately.

"Whatever let's just go, it's getting cold out here anyway."

And just like that, the kids all start to head toward the gate.

For a moment, sadness envelops my heart. It's not like I would go up to them or anything, but I somehow feel guilty for not talking to them. I don't know why exactly, but I just do. Maybe I could have talked to them or something instead of sitting on the bench and not paying attention to them like a nerd.

Besides, maybe they know something about the blue-haired girl.

Before I know it, I'm standing up and walking toward them. My feet shuffle back and forth toward the kids without even thinking about what I was going to say or what I was going to do when I finally caught up to them, I can't even come up with words until I was standing in front of them.

Everyone from the group instantly looks at me once I step in front of them, looking very confused. The girl looks like she doesn't want to deal with me, the short boy looks eager to tell me to buzz off already, and Trevor stands there looking completely uncomfortable while eyeing me. I just stand there like an idiot and don't say a single word.

No one says anything…

Ugh! I just made a huge mistake, why did I go up to them? I shouldn't be trying to make friends or talk to kids, I need to find that blue-haired girl and figure out what's going on! I'm just wasting these kid's time standing here like a moron in front of them. I should just go back-

"Um, can we help you?" the girl ask, staring at me questingly

I snap back into reality when she asks that question. She seems like she doesn't even want to talk to me, like most of the adults here do. Trevor and the other boy though just stand there looking at me, waiting for me to introduce myself. We stand silent for a few minutes.

Then, I finally decide to speak, even though I have no clue what I'm even saying.

"Um, no, I don't need help," I start off, "but I just wanted to introduce myself. I-I'm Eric, and I just moved here with my family from-"

The girl doesn't even let me finish the sentence I start.

"Great, okay bye now."

The girls about to leave before Trevor stops her.

"Sorry about that, what my friend _meant_ to say was nice to meet you."

"No, I did'n-"

Trevor again stops her and walks up to me.

"Anyway, my friend's rude comments aside. Hello there Eric. My name's Trevor, and these are my two friends Mike and Ba-"

"I thought we agreed that we don't tell people my name Trevor," the girl says harshly.

Trevor laughs before continuing his sentence.

"Anyway, you can just call her B. If you'd like."

"O-okay," I say sheepishly.

We all stood there awkwardly again as the wind blew in our faces. I didn't know what to say to them after that, even though I know the opposite should have been true. I should've been asking millions of questions about Trolberg and the world they were in, but I was way too nervous and scared to say anything that might've made me sound like a crazy person. I didn't want them to instantly think I had no idea where I was and how this placed worked, then maybe they wouldn't want to talk to me…

I should probably say something about that parade, it seems everyone on town is hung up on it, maybe they could tell me something about what it was.

"You say you just move here?" Trevor asks, interrupting my train of thought.

I nod quickly before looking down, regretting starting this entire conversation and wasting their time.

"That's cool," he says, "where did you live?"

It's hard to come up with an answer, especially since I've never been around the city, and it seems like the girl wants to instantly put down everything I say that comes out of my mouth, but I decide to go with the first thing I know which hopefully doesn't sound crazy.

"I-I moved into one of the townhouses on Alication square. It's really nice and stuff-"

"Isn't that the square where they're planning the bird parade this year?" B. quickly interrupted, "you live right next to the door to the parade?"

I pretend to nod in understanding when in reality I have no idea what she's talking about.

"Well here's a little word of advice Eric," Trevor says looking annoyed "don't bother going to it, it's an event for little kids and adults with the attention spam little kids."

What is he talking about? This just brings more questions about this kid now.

"What do you mean?" I ask

"He's only acting like that because of last year! We met-" Mike started to say.

"Shut up Mike," Trevor says angrily, "that stuffs in the past now, it doesn't matter how I feel about that stupid parade anymore."

"Are you serious, that-"

"I don't want to talk about. It's whatever now."

Everyone's quiet after that comment, and the wind around blows silently which makes up her face with her giant sweater.

"Anyway," Trevor says, "it was nice to meeting you Eric."

Then he starts to walk off. The others quickly follow behind.

"See you at school kid," B. says jokingly.

"Hope we can hang out more," Mike says genuinely as he follows them.

I stand there, completely silent, shocked at the conversation I just had. Did I really talk to other people without them telling me to buzz off? They seemed like they were interested in what I had to say, but then I ruined it when we started talking about it. What even is that? Was that all of the stuff I saw on Alication square before I ran off?

And why was Trevor so steamed about it too? Something about that parade a year ago caused him to hate it and everyone involved with it. I had to find out more, maybe it was related to that girl I saw in my dream. Even if it wasn't I wanted to talk to them more.

They were at the end of the sidewalk when I come running up to them, gasping for air.

"Um, wait," I say quickly, trying to stay calm.

They all turn toward me reluctantly. Very bad sign. I need to somehow fix this.

"Do you guys want to… maybe… I don't really know… hang out at all?"

At first, they seemed to not want to deal with me, which I don't blame them. I guess I have been a little annoying just going up to them and saying all this random stuff. But even when I contemplate just going back to the park, eventually Trevor steps up and smiles.

"Sure, why not?" he says, "we need a fourth player for our game anyway."

I'm about to step away and accept defeat until I realize that Trevor wasn't telling me to leave them alone. I'm almost shocked that they let me join them, especially after our previous conversation that got them all upset.

"Awesome!" Mike says, "we can totally show you around town!"

"Like we did with that girl last year?" B. counters.

Trevor gives her a nasty look before turning toward me.

"Do you want to go anywhere specific?" he asks.

I ponder about the question for a bit, and realize I do. I want to go practically everywhere in this city, but I don't know if Trevor and his friends want to use up their whole day showing a kid all of the best places in a huge place.

"N-no, I'm okay with where you want to go," I answer

"Okay then, so what do you guys want to do?" Mike ask.

Trevor ponders the question before he smiles and turns toward me.

"Have you ever heard of ding dong ditching?"

* * *

The sky was crystal blue, and there didn't appear to be a single cloud up there. The lack of clouds in the sky finally allowed the sun to penetrate the Earth and deliver heat to our freezing cold bodies. I wasn't ready to take off my coat yet due to my blood-spattered shirt, but I did enjoy the extra heat we finally got.

Currently, I was walking around with Trevor's friends around a neighborhood I didn't recognize. Most of the houses were one story in height, and kind of had an old cabin aesthetic to them. The houses were mostly made of wood and had yellow tinted windows.

Trevor and his friends were way ahead of me, talking and laughing about something I didn't know about. They seemed to be very close to each other, even if they did pick on one another from time to time. It was cool they let me join them like that without even questioning me that much, at least some people in this city showed hospitality.

I was fixing up my messy black hair (which up to this point looked like a freak show) when B. stopped in front of me, almost causing me to bump into her.

"This one looks good," B. calls out, pointing to a rather lonely cabin house sitting on a hill far away from the street.

Trevor takes one glance at the house before shaking his head.

"You really think we could do that one?" Trevor argued, "you need a house with a short distance from their doorway to the hiding spot you're planning to use. That house has neither a hiding spot, or a good running to the distance to one."

"Still, that's Lyla Fisher's house! I want to prank her so bad!" B. said.

Trevor shakes his head and continues walking on.

"Fine, whatever," B. said.

Mike and Trevor quickly chatted together after that, but the girl stayed behind at a sluggish pace until she was walking next to me. She seemed bored, and I kind of didn't blame her. Whatever Trevor was planning to do was taking a long time to set-

"THIS one!" Trevor shouted, "this one is perfect to start us off."

I looked up to see the house Trevor decided to choose.

It was a small house, with a short distance to the street. The house had bushes surrounding it, allowing kids like us plenty of opportunities to hide in them. It seemed that no one appeared to live here, but Trevor continued to insist that this house was the one.

"Okay, so here's how this works," he started saying looking toward me, "one person goes up to the door of the house while the rest hide somewhere. The person, or "greeter", goes up to the door, knocks three times, and then runs over to hide before the person can catch them."

Everyone looked eager to play the game, so I guess I better not mess this up.

"Since you're joining our group for the first time and haven't played this, I'll show you how a pro does it."

B. laughed.

"Right, as if you're a real pro."

"Just watch me," Trevor countered.

So we did, or at least I did, until I realized both B. and Mike were hiding behind a bush as Trevor approached the house. Understanding pretty quickly, I ran to the bush with them and hid behind it.

B. and Mike were both snickering and making jokes about who the person who owns the house might be. I just sat silently however and watched from behind as Trevor, rather innocently, climbed the steps to the porch and began to knock.

Trevor, loudly I must say, knocks on the door three times before darting away as fast as he could. As soon as he ran away, a silhouette of a man appears in the window. Sweat drips down my face as the door opens and the man's face appears.

He's going to catch Trevor in the act!

Except I was totally wrong about him doing that, because as soon as the door opens it stopped suddenly midway, and I quickly realize that the man had locked his door and forgot to unchain it. This gives Trevor enough time to practically dive into the bush with the rest of us, having a big dopey grin on his face.

"And he sticks the landing!" Mike says laughing.

While the B. and Mike laugh though, I quickly hurry over to see if Trevor is okay. The ground is pretty hard, and he has dirt covering him from all sides. I wonder if he got any bruises?

"Are you okay Trevor?" I ask.

Trevor actually looks surprised as I say that, eyeing my closely before going back to looking at the house.

"I'm fine, but I'm about to feel even better, look!"

I do look and watch as the man opens the door and looks for his disappearing visitor. He wears short nightclothes that barley conceals his hairy legs and holds a newspaper and coffee mug as he looks outside. His eyes scan past our hiding spot, and he seemingly gives up looking for anyone so he can go inside, almost tripping on himself along the way.

As soon as the door closes, the group burst out in laughter. Mike rolls over on the dirty ground, B. chuckles through her humongous sweater, and Trevor just laughs, like a funny kind of laugh that somehow makes me smile for the first time in two days.

"Did you see that guy! Oh man he looked like something out of a horror movie," Mike laughs.

"He definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," B. chuckles.

Everyone laughs at accomplishing a successful prank before turning toward me.

"So what did you think new kid?" Trevor asked, "was it as fun as you imagined?"

The big smile on my face confirms his suspicion before I even nod my head.

"It's great to see someone who finally gets it like us," Trevor says.

"Yeah, you're nothing like that Hilda girl," B, says jokingly.

Hilda? Who in the world is Hilda? Her name sounds familiar too, but I can't remember who it belongs to at all. My brain just scrambles every time I try to think of my past.

"Who's Hilda?" I ask.

B. and Mike turn sour at the mention of the girl's name, but Trevor seems to have no problem telling me.

"She was just a girl we met last year that we did some things with, that's all."

I eye him, trying to pierce into his brain to tell if he's lying or not about it, but either Trevor's hard to read because his face looks so normal, or he's telling the truth, so I back down.

"Anyway, let's go to another house," Mike says, "won't be fun if we get caught sitting here now would it?"

"Agreed," Trevor says," come on Eric, let's go find another house to ditch,"

I quickly scamper up and follow them, moving far away from the man's house we just pranked. A part of me cowers in guilt from making that man wake up for no reason to find nothing at his doorstep, but a very different part of me, one that's tired and sick from all the questions and rude adults, enjoys hanging out with Trevor and his gang pranking people.

We continued looking for houses to ditch and quickly found a small white house that was decorated quite nicely.

"Has tons of escape routes, easy running distance from door to bush. I think we found our next house guys!" Trevor announced.

"I'll take this one," B. said, smiling, "I think it's time I show my true skills."

Trevor and Mike quickly went behind a bush, and I followed behind them. The bush we chose to take cover in was quite big and soft. There were so many leaves on it that it was hard to see B. bouncing up to the porch.

As we looked over, I began to get curious about how Trevor and B. played this game so well. B. was super quiet, and barely made a sound as she took up the steps of the old wooden porch. Trevor was pretty quick to avoid the first house and I'm pretty sure Mike has something up his sleeve. I wonder how they do it?

"Hey Trevor," I whisper, "how long have you guys been doing this prank for?"

"What?" Trevor answers.

"I said, how long have you been doing this?"

"Oh, well, for a while I guess. We don't do it all the time, but only occasionally whenever we're bored."

"Does it ever get boring?" I question.

Trevor actually covers his mouth so he doesn't burst out laughing from my comment.

"Whenever it's about to, we find one more person that makes the prank worth playing again."

I nod and me and Trevor go back to watching B. She struts right up to the door, and in the corner of my eyes, I detect a slight smirk on her face. Unlike Trevor, she slams the door with her fist and then comes barreling toward us, laughing all the way. The sound is enough to make whoever lived in the home come rushing to the front door as I see a shadow of someone through the window.

However, whoever the owner might be, their no match for B.'s quick running as she dives safely to our hiding spot.

We all watch as a woman slams open the door and peers out into the sun. She's quite young, having bright blonde hair stuck in a ponytail, and wears a sparkling key chain necklace.

"Is anyone there?" the women calls, "someone banged on my door!"

We don't respond, and after a while of searching, the lady goes back into her own home, probably grumbling about how she got fooled. Once again, the second the door closes, the group of friends laugh together, and I sheepishly join In as well. It wasn't as funny as Trevor's house, but it was still a good play.

"Told you I was one of the best," B. says confidently as we begin to walk away.

"Yeah, well wait to see you me do mine," Mike says happily, "I got a big trick up my sleeve.

As I ponder what Mike might be doing for his trick, we quickly come across the next house Mike plans to target.

The house we come across is a sorry excuse for being called a "home". The wood is rotting, the roof is practically sagging, and the lawn is littered with junk. There are ripped up posters on the porch, and dead decaying flowers in the garden.

"Were pranking the "Crazy Lady's" house Mike?" Trevor asked, turning toward him looking worried.

"Just trust me, her reaction will be perfect," Mike says chuckling, "you guys go find a place to hide, I got this one."

Trevor and B. nod and begin to look for a hiding place. I decide to not to think about who the "Crazy Lady" is and in instead try to help. But when I quickly scan the area, I find a problem, this place doesn't have any rocks or thick bushes to hide behind. The only thing I can spot is the trash can, which might be big enough to hide us from the person opening the door.

"There's no hiding places!" B. calls out.

"What about the trash cans?" I say, "their kind of big,"

Trevor and B. look over to see what I'm talking about until their eyes eventually land on the trash can.

"Good thinking Eric, these should conceal us!" Trevor says as he quickly takes position.

We all follow suit, except Mike who ascends the rotting steps of the porch. It's hard to conceal three people behind two huge trash cans, but we all manage to position ourselves to get to hide our bodies from the porch and peek over it.

Mike stands at the doorway and then… it looks like he's putting something down on the porch. What could it be? As I ponder the possibilities, Mike knocks once very loudly and then just books it over to us.

Only this time he isn't fast enough, and a woman burst down the door and starts swinging a broom!

"GET AWAY! GET AWAY YOU VILE CREATURS! YOU ABSOLUTELY ARE NOT WELCOME ANYWHERE NEAR ME!"

My heart pounds and sweat pours down my face as the old lady screams and starts swinging her broom viciously. Mike hasn't even jumped off the porch yet and this woman starts swinging the broom like the batters in major league baseball. I'm afraid Mike's about to get hit with it, until the old women stops in her tracks and stares down at her feet in horror.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Her scream echoes and pulses into my ears. My eyes widen as the women beats down on something in on her porch so intensity that her broom starts to break apart.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE YOU AWFUL F-"

That's when me and Trevor cover our ears to avoid the profanity the women now spews out. B. laughs like crazy and Trevor chuckles a bit before the women tears the doll in two with her bare hands and throws it out onto the yard.

Luckily, the women was so distracted with the stuffed toy that Mike made it to us safely behind the trash can, trying to conceal his explosion of laughter. I almost burst out laughing with him until I hear the women start to scream out more profanity at the ripped toy and then SLAM her door shut.

We're all silent for a moment. My heart's still pounding so hard that my ears can detect the sound. My blood had turned ice-cold during the whole ordeal, and for a moment, I just completely forgot what I was doing there. Trevor seems just as shocked as I am, maybe he's never heard of profanity before. Mike looked like he was still very traumatized from almost being caught by the "Crazy Lady".

Then… we all explode from laughter. I actually can't stop choking out cries of amusement to the point where my eyes water. Mike needs to support on B. to keep standing, and B. has to support herself on the trashcan so she can't fall either. Trevor can barely contain himself now.

I'm surprised none of the adults came out to hear what the commotion was, but no one did, and we just continued to laugh until coughing took over.

"That was absolutely priceless!" B. manages to get out.

"Oh man, did you see her face? She just erupted over a doll!" Trevor says in between laughter.

I nod in agreement with all of them as I try to calm my laughter down. It's hard, but eventually, I'm able to choke out a question.

"What did in the world did you put on her porch?" I say as I wipe the tears away.

Mike almost looks like he's about to pass out, but he is able to control himself long enough to tell me.

"This lady is kind of famous for despising the entire species of birds, like Trevor you see-"

"I don't hate birds!" Trevor cuts off, suddenly no longer laughing.

"You're right, more like scared of them," B. jokes, "that lady just destroyed one, you would run for your life if you saw one."

"I-" Trevor tries to say, but then Mike cuts him off.

"Anyway, so she hates birds right? So I borrowed one of my sister's stuffed animals of a bird to use to distract that woman as I ran away. I was just expecting her to freak out and throw it away but didn't know it would work so well though."

We all get out of our last-minute chuckles before we decided to move on. My heart no longer pounds but is still pumping loudly over what had just happened. I can't believe I'm even hanging out with other kids, laughing with them, instead of looking for clues. Maybe I'm an idiot for hanging out with them and not finding out more about the world I'm in, but honestly, though, I'm having so much fun that I don't think I can leave.

I'm still adjusting my jaw to stop my cheek from hurting from all that laughing when Trevor starts to talk to me.

"Okay guys, we've all done a house so far but our buddy Eric here. I think it's time he gets a turn.

My blood once again turns ice cold as I turn toward them. All of them are smiling and laughing from the last prank, so I know they must be serious for me doing it. I don't know If I could though, I'm not like any of them. I mean I laughed when they did the pranks, but I don't think I could be the one to go up there and risk getting caught. They're so good at doing it, but what if I'm trash and they don't want to hang out with me?

"I-I don't know if I can," I say sheepishly, declining the offer.

B. groans and comes up to me, clearly looking annoyed.

"Come on, we all did our houses, now you have to yours. It's only fair."

My head feels like it's sinking deeper into my zipped-up jacket. I want to shake my head no and run away, but I've had so much fun with them so far, and I don't want to leave the group over a stupid reason. I finally had some real fun with other people in this place. I don't think I could manage leaving that.

"Hey B.," Trevor said, "let me talk to him okay?"

B. rolls her eyes and goes back to chatting with Mike about their next plan. Then Trevor comes near me, his smile has since gone away, giving me a very serious look. My heart begins to pound again and sweat forms on my forehead. I can't do this! But I'm making myself look like a fool in front of Trevor! If they kick me out, then what would I do? No one's ever going to-

"Hey, Eric."

I look up at him.

Trevor looks forward, with an embarrassed look on him. He seems conflicted about what to as he rubs his hand together.

"Listen, I just want you to know that… it's completely okay to not want to do something. If you don't want to do this game anymore, that's okay. We can do other things if you'd like. We can play kick the can, or we can just hang out and chill."

What? Now I'm confused. What I'd like? Why is he asking me for what I want? Nobody in this place except my orb buddy did what I wanted, why is he…

"What do you mean "what I'd want?" I ask in real life, "isn't today, like you're guys big planning day? Where you were going to do the things you… wrote I guess?"

Trevor stares at his friends before turning to me again.

"You're right, it was… but I don't want to… mess this up you know?"

"What? What do you mean by that?" I say.

Trevor looks away, rubbing the back of his neck in distress. He seems like he's remembering something.

"It's just… I've been in this situation before with a girl, Hilda. That girl we met a long time ago with before you. We never really asked her what she wanted to do when we hung out, and I guess we got carried away doing our own thing, thinking that she would like the stuff we did… I was wrong…"

I stare at Trevor in silence, as he looks down in… I guess shame as he remembers something I can't sense. He must have done something the girl didn't like because now she doesn't hang out them anymore… but how does that apply to me? I'm okay with ding dong ditching unlike Hilda I guess. I mean, it kind of is mean, but it doesn't hurt anyone, right?

Whatever the case is, I must be reminding Trevor of that girl somehow. She must have been new kid like me, except she didn't fall from the sky. Trevor might have done something she hated and now feels guilty for it. Do I remind him of that guilt somehow? Does he think he's making me hate him? I don't want him to feel like he's ruining my enjoyment, that's supposed to be my job tom worry about. Besides, Trevor looks nice and friendly, he doesn't deserve his friends treating him like a joke because of whatever he did a year ago, even if I don't know what he did.

And if it takes knocking on a neighbors door to help Trevor forge a new friendship with another new kid (I guess in this case me), or even help him in anyway, I would do it.

"So, what I'm trying to say is-" Trevor continues before I stop him.

"Oh no, I'm having a lot of fun with what we're doing. I'll do one house if it makes you happy."

Trevor looks up in surprise before Mike runs right over him in excitement.

"REALLY!"

I laugh a bit before answering.

"Uh... yeah, I guess,"

"AWESOME!" Mike calls out, "did you hear that B.?!"

"Took you long enough to agree," B. answered.

I didn't pay much attention to them, as I stared at Trevor to see his reaction first. He looked like he was happy, actually smiling at me as well.

"Well, what house are you going to pick Sherlock?" Mike asked.

Now, that I was back in this game, I searched the neighborhood for houses to ditch. It didn't take long for me until I found our next target. The house we approached was small and brown. It was one floor, and had bushes surrounding it, including some big artificial rocks the person decided to plant. Perfect hiding locations to run to.

"That house looks good," I said pointing.

I watch as Trevor quickly scans it and nods his head.

"It's perfect to start you off Eric," Trevor said.

"Good luck!" B. called out, chuckling as she and Mike went over behind a bush.

"Try to not get caught, it could get pretty messy," Trevor says, rushing over to hide behind a rock.

I nodded toward his direction and took a deep breath as I approached the house.

The house in front of me was only a few feet away from me, but it seemed to tower over my feeble body. My breathing instantly quickened as I climbed the porch. My heart pounded, and fear raced around my body. It was so much easier just watching the others do it but doing it yourself is something I couldn't even comprehend.

I walked toward the wooden green door. Raised my hand into a fist, and very reluctantly knocked on the door.

Nobody answered, but I instantly knew someone was coming, so I quickly stepped off the porch and turned to run to toward the rock Trevor was hiding behind.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Roughly, someone tugged on my arm and threw me back toward the porch. I looked up as adrenaline and fear oozed throughout my body. It didn't take very long to find out who it was, since they were big, tall, and balding of course. I instantly recognize the voice, as it was the same voice that shouted at me when I first entered the city.

Unfortunately, he instantly figured out who I was to.

"It's you again!" he yelled in my face, "I thought I told you to never come back to my house again with your stupid signatures!"

Even as his face shoved closer to mine, I somehow had the strength to talk back to him.

"I-I don't know w-what you're talking a-about sir…" I said with fear in my voice, "I don't k-know anything about signatures…"

"Then who the heck you supposed to be? My tax collector?!" he shouted.

"Why would you think that?" I questioned, instantly realizing my mistake for saying that.

I was ready to bolt it out of there, but his grip on my hand was way to strong for me to even move my body. Sweat poured down my face, and I feared more for my life more than I've ever had in the last few days.

The man looked at me angrily. He was very upset, and I was ready to apologize immediately for trying to prank him, but that was before his grip on my arm tightened and my feet started to drag behind me. My eyes opened up in shock as I realized he was dragging me toward his house!

"Come inside! Were going to call your parents to see how they buy your silly antics around town!"

"W-what!" I said, starting to struggle now.

I kicked and punched, but he was just way too big for me. My breathing was so quick now I couldn't even focus on it anymore. Adrenaline was rushing everywhere in my body. All I wanted to do was punch this man straight in the face and escape, but my arms were so weak I couldn't even move.

I've never been more terrified in my life. I mean, falling from the sky was horrifying on its own, but this was a whole new level of crazy. I had to-

BAM!

A banging sound could be heard to the right of me. My heart stopped instantly and I quickly turned my head to see what had happened. The mailbox that was attached to the guys home had a big dent in it, and right under it lied a rock bigger than my own hand…

"HEY! MR. LODEN!" a voice called out angrily, "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

I whisked around to find Trevor standing there, his arms crossed and looking quite angry. I was so terrified that I had forgotten that Trevor and his pals were still around watching me, and after figuring that out, it didn't take me long to figure out Trevor was the one who threw the rock. Maybe as a distraction!

The man, or, Mr. Loden I'm guessing, whirled around angrily to see who caused the dent in his mailbox. The moment his eyes landed on Trevor, I knew he was screwed.

"YOU! YOU!" he shouted, and instantly started rushing toward him.

Before he could make it two feet however, I kicked him hard in the crouch in a fit of anger and a last-ditch attempt to escape his grasp. No way in heck I would let the guy lay a finger on anyone else, especially Trevor.

Mr. Loden instantly shouted out in agony as he fell to the ground hard, his hands clutching his area that I don't want to talk about. My kick must've been brutal as he now was crying out of his eyes.

"Come on Eric!" Trevor said, grabbing my now free hands and pulling me away from this jerks house.

I couldn't leave soon enough.


	5. Chilling September

**_9/8/? – Daytime – Location: Trolberg_**

 _It's really weird how this journal entry is going to start, considering that I usually just report on findings I discover and write down questions I need answers to. This little sketched filled notebook with all of my writing only holds questions as to why I'm here, and only a small portion of them have been semi-answered._

 _So it might be a little weird how I'm now starting off this journal by saying I hung out with a bunch of kids today._

 _This is kind of strange, almost normal sounding. It might be a waste of time, but I'm still going to write about them because they helped me a lot, probably more than most people would in this place._

 _Their names are Trevor, Mike, and B._

 _Thanks to them I can finally put a date in this journal after wondering for so long what day it was. I can now officially say its September 8_ _rd_ _, the year still currently unknown because they didn't tell me that yet._

 _I'm so happy that they found me, or I found them, or however you really want to put it. All I know is that I probably would've given up searching for answers if it wasn't for them. I've found out a lot of things by spending time with them all. Like to NEVER go near Mr. Loden's house cause he's considered a creep. I'm glad Trevor helped me get away from him, considering they don't even know me at all._

 _They haven't only been helpful either, but they've been really fun to hang out with. They're always joking and talking about so many different things that I just forget about the situation I'm in. I might be considered dumb for not looking for answers like I should be, but Trevor and his friends have kind of made me not stress about it as much anymore._

 _Which is part of the reason why I haven't told them about how I really got into this world. I think it would be weird to just say "Hey! I have no memory of who I am, and I'm only asking all these weird questions because I fell out of the sky and landed on an orb!", how the heck do you bring that into a conversation?_

 _I still don't know who I'll tell first about everything that happened. If I got the chance (and the courage) I could tell Trevor and his friends. But hanging out with them had made me feel so calm and relaxed, and if they didn't believe me, or thought I was crazy, then I wouldn't feel normal like I was right now again. Knowing I wasn't normal didn't scare me (only a little though), but if I told them, and they didn't want to hang out with me or help because of what happened to me, then I would feel like… I don't know, really sad._

 _I'll just keep my little "origin story" a secret for now. I don't want them to think I'm crazy. Or worse, somehow believe me and get hurt trying to help me find answers. I can't tell them, not yet, not until I find that blue-haired girl. I haven't asked them about her yet, but I will soon, I hope I have the courage to anyway._

 _Until next time._

* * *

 **Hilda**

It was a chilly September afternoon as Hilda, Frida, and David sat and chatted at the park, while the kids laughed and cheered in the playground further away from them. The cold bit into their skin and all three of them tried to snuggle deeper into the jackets they had brought with them. It was clear that fall this year would be even colder then people would've hoped for.

Today, however, the children themselves were not talking about their fall and winter plans for this year. Instead, they were discussing something much more serious, something that Hilda herself experienced last night.

"What was the dream like exactly?" Frida asked.

"It was dark," Hilda started off, "and I was floating during the whole thing. There wasn't anyone there at that moment, but I felt this weird presence around me, trying to move me around."

"A presence?" David asked, "like a monster or something?"

"Definitely not a monster," Hilda confirmed, "but something much more supernatural."

"Supernatural?" Frida asked.

"Like a marra?" David said, "do you think maybe it was a marra that caused it?"

David just asking the question alone sent him shivering in his boots remembering his own horrifying encounter with them all those years ago.

"I don't think so," Frida said, relaxing David just a bit, "they prey on your fears and manifest them into nightmares, remember? Not a single thing Hilda described in her dream sounded like anything she's scared of."

"It was eerie though," Hilda said, "certainly creepier then I'd like."

As Hilda turned toward the playground, watching the younger kids playing and shouting, there was a brief moment where the uneasiness she could remember in her dream started to creep up on her in the real world. The dream certainly wasn't "scary" or anything, but it definitely wasn't a set definition of normal that Hilda is usually comfortable with.

"Okay," Frida said, closing her eyes, suggesting she was thinking, "let's try and look at the facts again. What do you most remember about it?"

In her mind, Hilda already knew the answer. There were a lot of disturbing things in the "dream" she had, like the soulless glowing eyes of a haunting shadow, and the weird symbol of a vortex carved into a rock oozing a mysterious substance. But the one part of it she couldn't stop thinking about was the boy she had saw. Many questions in her brain were circulating about who he was and why he was in her dream.

"All I can think about was the boy I saw," Hilda remarked, "he was floating like me, but, there was something off about him."

"Like what?" David asked.

"I don't know yet, but I have the strangest feeling that I might know him from somewhere. I mean, I don't know who he is, but I just have a feeling,"

All the kids sat quietly on the bench as the laughter of the children died down, indicating that their parents were bringing them all home due to the rising cold temperatures. Soon, there were no noises but the rustling of the leaves and the creaking of the bench.

"Maybe," David said abruptly, "if you tell us what he looked like we could get a visual reference of him in our head and can remember who he is."

"That's actually not a bad idea David," Frida said, "Hilda, do you remember any physical features about the boy you saw?"

Hilda thought for a moment as the chilling wind blew into their faces. Her fingers felt numb, and her body was cold, but even as the freezing air around her sunk deep into her skin. It was easier to think in the weather then she thought, as the cold embraced her and sunk Hilda deeper into her mind as.

She thought of the boy carefully. She could remember that his hair was black and wild. He was white-skinned, wearing a blue jacket that was unzipped that revealed a white T-shirt. He had blue jeans on and almost looked about her age. The boy looked so normal in her mind, like any other ordinary kid in Trolberg she usually passes by.

"Well?" Frida said, "do you remember anything yet?"

"Yeah, I think I can," Hilda said concentrating, "he has black hair that's kind of messy. He looks to be about our age, wearing a blue jacket and white t-shirt And he had a backpack on."

David and Frida went silent, as their brains scanned through all the possible kids they've seen fitting that description. Hilda watched them, realizing pretty quickly that they were eliminating each person off the list in their mind. However, when they finished, they came back looking more stressed and worried.

"I can't think of anyone that looks like that," David said as he crosses his arms, "it's just really hard to think of who it might be,"

"There could be tons of kids in the city with the same description," Frida said, "will just have to keep a lookout for anyone that catches our attention,"

"Good idea," Hilda said, "and if I find Raven before the bird parade, I'll ask him to help us find him."

So, the three kids all promised to themselves and each other to keep a close lookout for the boy if they ever encountered him. Hilda knew she would have to talk to Raven and Alfur later about all this weird stuff, she knew he dream could be indicating something dangerous. Even if it was just a false alarm, Hilda had to be sure.

"It's getting colder out here," Frida said, snapping Hilda out of her mind, "maybe we should discuss this at one of our houses. Where it's warmer?"

"Agreed, it's getting way too cold out here for the beginning of September," Hilda said, picking up her bag.

David and Frida quickly followed, and together, they all left the park as the cold breeze fell behind.

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

It was getting colder outside, or at least, that's what Trevor and his friends are saying to me.

"What even is this weather?" B. said, shaking, "I can barely feel my toes anymore!"

"Maybe it's just a really bad storm," Trevor responded, "hopefully it passes soon."

"Now I can see why Henry decided to stay home today," Mike said.

They all looked frozen to the bone, sinking deeper into their jackets and stuffing their hands into their pockets.

It must've been really cold for them, but I didn't feel a thing around me at all. My body felt oddly warm, and my exposed skin just wasn't feeling the cold air everyone else seemed to be going through. It might be my jacket I wore that was protecting me from the chill wind, but I don't think that's the case considering it's worn to the point of death and wrinkled to heck and back.

For anyone else, they would think nothing of it, but I can't help but shake the feeling that something's still wrong with me. Trevor did think it might be a bad storm, but whatever it was, it strangely wasn't affecting me.

What if… I accidentally caused this or something? I know I shouldn't automatically be blaming myself for it, but I wasn't normal, and the condition of this weather wasn't either. I'm feeling warm and hot, while everyone else is freezing their toes off. How could natural causes cause this? I just don't think I could-

"Here we are!" Mike announced happily.

Interrupted from my train of thought, I looked up quickly to see a wooden fence blocking an alleyway. The fence was quite tall and looked sturdily built, but sadly, whoever made it probably didn't expect someone else to make a huge jagged hole at the bottom left corner. Clearly, the hole must've been the entrance of their secret base, as Trevor was peeking through it to see if the coast was clear.

Once Trevor nodded his head, everyone started to get ready to go inside.

"Follow us our royal guest," Mike said in a weird accent, "only the luckiest get to see it."

Mike then quickly got onto his knees and crawled through the tight space, disappearing into the dark. B. followed Mike and vanished into the hole as well. Lastly, Trevor crawled through and before long, it was my turn to go in.

Even though this could be an attempted kidnapping, I forced myself to crawl through the hole slowly, avoiding the wooding bits and chips that laid on the floor. The black concrete was hard and rough, and it took all my willpower to not groan at how painful it was to crawl on.

My back ached once I got up, and my fingers protested loudly due to the soreness of crawling on concrete. I craned my neck around to get some of the uncomfortableness out of me, but when I looked up, the feeling quickly went away on its own after noticing where I was.

The place was just a small alleyway, but there was a lot to look at. Junk piled everywhere in the tiny alleyway, and some broken furniture laid all around allowing kids to sit down and rest if they needed to. The walls from the buildings around me were covered in white chalk, some saying random quotes or doodles, but a lot of them saying names.

It would make a perfect drawing in my notebook, but I decided not to take it out yet, instead opting to solely focus on the names that covered the wall. Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to skim over some of them that were written, just to take a look at who had been here before me.

I only expected to see Trevor's and his friend's names written out, which I did find quickly since they circled then, but it turns out there were a lot of other kids here too. A lot of them were really smudged and old, but there were some names that I saw that were still fresh. There must've been people here recently before Trevor and his friends brought me here.

There were tons of names, both boys and girls. Some had Hispanic sounding names while others had more of African styled touch to them. This probably means other countries exist in this world so that's good news. I think I even saw some writing done in Japanese here…

"Shoot!" Trevor grunted.

The voice of Trevor sent me looking away from the names to find a big brick wall that Mike and B. were sitting on. It was pretty tall itself and the only way to climb up to the top of it was by some wooden boxes and trash lying around.

Trevor was climbing up the trash currently, slipping on a trash bag holding some empty containers to try and reach the top of the wall. For a split second, I thought he was going to fall, prompting me to almost run to catch him, but Trevor quickly caught himself and hoisted his body up to the very top of the wall.

That seemed very dangerous. I mean, I have been riding on orbs and falling down from the highest wall of Trolberg, but I don't think climbing up on trash is a very smart idea in itself since people sometimes tend to throw in dangerous objects in.

"Well?" Trevor called out, "what are you waiting for? Join us!"

I looked up to see Trevor and his pals urging me up to join them with smiles on their faces. They seemed way too excited to see me climb up this trash pile. Maybe it's been a while since they've seen anyone but them do it.

"It's not so bad!" B. called, "you just got to climb on the trash bags."

I took one more look at the trash pile before shaking my head.

"I-I don't know," I said, backing away slowly, "that looks very unsafe."

Then I waited, to hear the groans, or complaints or whatever, but what came out of Trevor's mouth next shocked me.

"Come on Eric!" Trevor said, "You can do it!"

Suddenly, the gang on the wall looked at each other, then back at me, before yelling loudly in my direction.

"E-ric! E-ric! E-ric!" they chanted over and over again.

It seemed so silly to me to hear them start yelling out my name, like the way cheerleaders do in sports movies to root on a team. However, even if it felt cheesy, it did make me feel somewhat more confident. Maybe that's how it works for sports players when they have people cheering for them too.

My hands hardened. My eyes focused. I breathed in and out and stretched my legs. They've been climbing this thing for years now, it must've been safe. If they could do it, I could as well. Just like the ding dong ditching game, only this time there was no Mr. Loden to shout at me.

"E-ric! E-ric! E-ric!" they said louder.

Adrenaline rushes through my body, and a warm feeling appears around me. My eyes focused heavily onto the wooden planks, waiting for me to climb up on. Trevor's and Mike's voices grew louder. I stared at the bricks.

Suddenly, my legs started to move. My feet pounded onto the concrete below me and once I shot forward, I quickly jumped onto a big wooden crate. The second my feet contacted the wooden box, I sprang upwards and clung onto two plastic trash bags. Trevor and his friends were cheering loudly for me, which probably would've earned them a good shouting from an adult nearby, but no one came to do so.

My feet land onto a lodged picture frame in between some junk, which gives me enough space to push myself forward and cling my hands hardly onto the rough hard edge of the wall. Gravity tries to dig its claws into me and drag me back down toward the floor, but my hands cling harder onto the chiseled brick of the wall, which gives me enough time to safely hoist my legs over.

Every part of my body was scorching hot, but I somehow managed to get myself on top of the wall without complaining too much. My hands hurt, and my feet felt sore, but once I got myself settled, Mike instantly started clapping for me. Trevor followed suit, and together, they formed a chorus of congrats and laughter.

"That was so cool!" Mike said, clearly shocked, "you're like a parkour master!"

"Impressive moves for a first-timer," B. said snickering, "they usually slip on their climb up."

I'll be honest, their words made my heart swell up in pride. It was certainly corny, but it made me feel good, at least for a small moment in the situation.

B. and Mike continued to congratulate me until Trevor separated them

"Okay, you all said your congrats to him," Trevor joked, "now give Eric some space so he can see the view we got."

So they stopped, and after we all got our last chuckles out, we just stared off into the street from the viewpoint of the wall.

There wasn't much to look at except a few shops and trash that lined the sidewalk, and the mean grey clouds overhead us gave the entire place a dreary sort of look, but the wall definitely gave a good view over the entire street. If there was an event going on with a lot of people and you wanted to see something you couldn't before in the crowd, this wall would be a good place to see over everyone's heads.

"Pretty cool huh?" Trevor says beside me.

This time when Trevor talks, I don't jump like I usually do, as I realized that I do that way too much when someone attempts to speak with me.

"Yeah, it's nice," I lie.

Silence for a bit as me and Trevor look out onto the desolate street. Nobody is out right now, making the shops that line the sidewalks look dead and quiet.

"Do you come here often?" I ask.

"Yeah, we try to usually come here every day," Trevor says, "to hang out and talk about things."

My heart stings a bit, as it usually does whenever I see or hear something that reminds me about things I don't have now. It must be nice for them, to hide away in their own little place and do their own thing. I wish I had a place like that, a place where I can just let myself be calm and express myself, even if it was just for a moment.

"That sounds calming somehow," I say.

"Well, the wall is a quiet spot to get away from things," Trevor replies.

"Like what?" I ask.

Again, Trevor takes a moment to come up with his answer, probably pondering over something that had happened in his past life or something. Maybe he's even thinking about that Hilda girl that he told me about earlier. I wonder who she is still, he never really told me about her like I thought he would.

"I don't know exactly," Trevor finally says, "we just come here to get things off our chest that annoy us. Like school, or homework-"

"Or adults," I interrupt, harshly remembering Mr. Loden and all those other rude adults I encountered.

"I guess…" Trevor says, "but not all adults are bad here you know, sometimes they're just a little strict and overbearing. I know my mom is."

Trevor chuckles at his attempt at a joke, but I don't join him. A little strict is an understatement when it comes to describing these adults in my honest opinion. I don't know much about this world, but I do certainly know that at least some, if not all of the adults here are awful and mean to me when I needed help, for what seems like no reason at all.

For a moment, my hands heat up, my cheeks turn red. Thinking about what makes me angry won't help I need to somehow calm down and relax. Nothing ever helps getting annoyed by something.

Maybe I could draw area in my journal, I have been putting off doing some sketch work ever since that weird dream. It's kind of weird to draw during times like these, but after doing it so much, I somehow find it oddly relaxing now.

My hands instinctively take off my backpack, and I quickly pull out my journal.

The cover of my journal is starting to get worn now, but I oddly like it that way. Somehow, something looking worn makes it look more official in my opinion. Although I guess my opinion doesn't count for much considering I know absolutely nothing about this world and what people consider "official."

"What's that?" Trevor asked beside me.

I bring my attention over to Trevor to see what he wants to know about until my eyes spot him looking at the journal.

"What's what?" I ask,"my journal?"

"Yeah," Trevor says, "I'm not trying to be nosey, but is that where you write all your personal stuff?"

An uneasiness creeps down my spine as my frizzled brain tries to come up with a reasonable response. If this was a normal conversation, I probably would just tell him about everything that was in my book.

But I'm not normal, I'm not even from this place, and I've already filled this book with all this weird stuff that anyone else would think I'm crazy, which technically I am. I've already made up the story that I moved here, but what would happen if he read it and found out where I really was from?

What would happen if they found out I was from another world?

My mouth feels like it's drying up, I need to calm down. There are too many moments in this city already where I start flipping out, and this moment can't be one of them with Trevor and his friends. I just need… to calm down.

"Eric? Are you okay? Trevor asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

I look up, and my heart skips a beat seeing a worried look coming out of Trevor's face.

"No!" I say, trying to reassure him, "I mean, n-no. You didn't. I'm just… thinking right now."

There's an awkward silence for a few moments after I say that. Even though my body feels warm right now, everything else around me is freezing cold. I couldn't tell if that was from the actual weather or the fact that I felt like an idiot right now.

It's almost kind of funny how quickly things work out for me. One minute I'm really happy hanging out with kids my age, and the next I'm freaking out over some small thing I said. Maybe I should just stop being paranoid over every little thing that happens, although, it's kind of impossible not to considering the everything that's happened to me thus far.

"What are you're thinking about?" Trevor asks, shaking me out of my mind.

Even though I've been lying for about myself and where I came from for about two days now, it was hard to find the right words to explain to Trevor about anything. There was still a part of me that hated lying to everyone about my situation, and it hurt to force out untrue sayings about myself, but I had to.

"Just about this book," I say quietly, looking down at the brown cover of the journal, "I like to draw in this, and I was just thinking about some of them."

"Oh," Trevor says, hesitating for a few moments, "you… like to draw?"

"Yeah," I tell him, "do you draw?"

"I used to," Trevor says, looking off into the street, "but my skills got so bad that I quit for the good of mankind, so… you know."

We both quietly giggle at Trevor's attempt to break the ice, but we quickly fall silent again after that.

Trevor doesn't talk to me, but every now and then, I catch him looking back at my journal with curious eyes. He seems to want to look in it, but I don't know if I should. If I do, then he could backstab me and read all my journal entries. Then he could find out the truth and do whatever he wanted with it.

But… I guess that doesn't really make someone a "friend" if they do that, and Trevor has been so nice to me so far. Maybe I could let him read a bit of it.

For a moment, my hand lurches back, but I force myself to straighten it out and give Trevor the journal. It's hard to look at something personal being handed to someone you know nothing about, but if I there was anyone I would want to show it to first, it would probably be Trevor.

"You can read inside it if you want," I say, handing Trevor the journal, "like, just the drawings though of course."

Trevor takes the journal, hesitantly, as if he was touching hot lava instead of a dirty notebook.

"You sure you're okay with me looking in this?" Trevor ask.

"Yeah," I say, "it's fine, there really isn't much in it anyway."

He doesn't stop staring at me for a bit, but then I watch as Trevor very slowly opens the book to the first page.

The first thing that comes to both of our eyes is my orb drawing.

Seeing the happy orb, with the black streak of fur done in pencil brings an aching pain in my heart. I can still remember the cool night air with the hundreds of orb's around me as I drew this. It's been a long while since I've seen them, or any orbs for this matter, but they were the first ones to help me in this place, so I know I can't ever forget about them.

Trevor looks at the drawing carefully, capturing every detail with his laser-focused eyes. At first, I think he's going to make fun of it as the corners of his mouth turn into a smirk, but then it turns into a full-on smile as he finishes examining it.

"This looks amazing Eric!" he says excitedly, "how did you learn to draw like this?"

My insides begin to flood with embarrassment as Trevor starts to compliment my art.

"Oh," I say looking down, "it's just something I learned to do over time. It's not that special."

"Not that special?!" Trevor says, "don't be so modest Eric, this looks great! I could never draw a Woff like that!"

The word "woff" catches my attention as Trevor continues to talk. Is that what they call the orbs here? If so, then I got their names all wrong from the moment I met them.

"I'm sorry," I begin to say, "but, what exactly is a woff?"

Trevor looks at me in a very confused look, and the moment I see his face, my brain instantly realizes that what I just asked is probably the most common knowledge in this place.

"It's the animal you drew in your notebook," Trevor starts, "they're like… flying animals that show up nearby Trolberg. I think they're quite friendly and cute, but I've never really seen one up close before, so I don't know that for sure."

"You've never seen one?" I ask as I begin to jot down all this information in my memory. "are they really rare?"

"No, they're pretty common around Trolberg. Some people say you can even ride them as long as they're not too rowdy in the sky," Trevor says looking back at my book, "I wouldn't know though, again, I've never been close to one before."

Trevor stares back at my art again and smiles.

"I got to say though," Trevor says holding up the book and pointing to the woff, "you'd have to be really close to a Woff to be able to capture their fur in such detail."

"Oh I've been close," I say smiling, "a little to close, to be honest."

Trevor instantly laughs at my comment, and I can't help but join him as memories resurface of that night with my old "Woff" friends. Even if the orb name sounds a bit better in my opinion, I'm glad I at least know what they're called in this reality.

"What's going on Trevor?" B. says, suddenly scooting up by my side.

"Yeah, what are you laughing about?" Mike says peering over Trevor's shoulder.

"Nothing much," I answer for them, surprising the last of my giggles in.

"You guys have to see Eric's artwork," Trevor says with enthusiasm, "it blows everyone's at school practically out of the water!"

B. and Mike both lean closer to Trevor to check out my "woff" drawings, so I quickly move out of the way for them so they can see it better. It doesn't take very long until they both are also praising my work after they've finished analyzing it.

"This looks so cool Eric!" Mike says.

"That is awesome," B. says.

"Told you he was good," Trevor answers.

"Let's see the next page!" Mike says.

Trevor turns the page to my Trolberg drawing, which makes my heart skip a beat.

They can't stop raving about it, which is kind of makes me happy, but also kind of sad. To Trevor and his friends, it's their city drawn very well I guess, but to me, it's just another reminder of that awful day. It's hard to forget it, with the adults, and the cold, and me falling from the wall. So much stuff that still makes me burn with anger.

But it's nice, to see other people excited about the things I made. Trevor and his friends let me forget all about this weird scenario that's going on with me, and I really like them for that, even if they don't know that they're helping me do that.

"Can you draw me?" B. asks.

"What?" I say, snapping out of my mind.

"Can you draw me next?" she asks, "I always wanted to have a professional draw me."

"Oh, uh, sure I guess," I say, "let me just get my pencils."

B. nods and goes back to looking at my little doodles. With her occupied, I turn around to grab the pencils from my bag, which doesn't take very long since I only have a few notebooks and a couple of pens. Not a lot of things in there to help me figure out who I was or what's going on about me.

Quickly grabbing my pencils, I turn over to see Trevor and his friends looking at another drawing, this time the one at the park I made before meeting them.

"These are really well-done Eric," Trevor says, "can you draw me to?"

"Sure," I say happily, "I'll draw all of you."

"Awesome!" Mike says excitedly, "make sure to get me in a cool pose."

"It's freezing out here though, so make sure to do it quickly at least," Trevor says, handing back my journal.

Everyone quickly gets into position as I open an empty part of the journal to start drawing in. They all seem so excited about this, so I better not mess up.

When they're all silent and still, I began to draw.

The pencil begins to move by my hand, then on its own without my control. The lines thicken when it comes to creating their coats, and the pencil softens when working on their hair. For their hats and caps, I add multiple lines in carefully constructed movement to indicate knitted material. Start to shade part of the shadow on their bodies, and lighten it out when the sun hits their skin.

Their faces are the hardest part, but I make sure to draw them as well as I can, peeking over for references to make sure I don't mess up. Mike and B. laugh as I do this, and Trevor tells them to shut up at points, but there are no distractions as I start shaping them to life in my book.

Finally, when I get them in as well as I can, I insert the wall underneath them. Tiny dots and cracks are put in place where I draw the bricks, and pieces of hardened and sharp rock dot the edges of the walls. My eyes quickly catch the curving pencil lined clouds above them and the sketched rough-edged buildings on the paper. The trash that leads up to the wall is fun to make, as I can be as chaotic as I want to be with the misshapen trash bags the jagged wood that sticks out.

Everything begins to feel warmer as I put in the final touches. My hands and fingers begin to burn with intense movement. The heart in my chest begins to pump loudly, and sweat starts to crawl down my face. Things begin to get blurry, and smoke starts to appear. =The smell of smoke and fire invades my nostrils at some point-

 _CRACK!_

The pencil lead breaks just as I finish detailing B.'s hair, leaving bits and pieces of lead around the paper.

 _Shoot,_ I think to myself as I examine the broken pencil.

"The pencil broke," I say, "let me get another-"

"Wait," Mike interrupts, "can we please get a preview real quick?"

I turn over to see the excited eyes of Mike try to look at the drawing I made, eager to see it's finished completion.

"Uh, it's not done yet," I say, holding the journal closer to my chest.

"It looks done to me," B. exclaims, "can we just see it for a quick moment?"

"Yeah, we promise not to ruin it!" Mike says earnestly.

For a fleeting moment, I almost think to show it to them. There's really no reason for me not to at least give them a peek, but there's just something bugging me about the art I made that I really want to correct.

"Hold on," I say, looking closely at my journal, "I just want to finish this last thing that will really make it look nice,"

I don't bother to look up to see their reactions to my comment, instead deciding to erase some of the squiggled and misshaped sketched lines on each of the drawings faces. It doesn't take very long, and the ending result really makes their faces look smoother.

"Okay, I think I'm done," I say happily.

Almost instantly everyone leans next to me to look at my art, which I quickly show them. Of course, though to my enjoyment, it doesn't take long for them to react very positively about it.

"This looks great!" Mike says.

"Somehow you managed to make Trevor look almost human!" B. jokes.

"First of all, this is awesome drawing Eric, and second of all, what in the world are you talking about B.!"

B. instantly laughs at Trevor's, comment, which causes a chain reaction for all of us to laugh with her, protecting us from the freezing cold air and warm our hearts.

* * *

 **?**

In a cold darkened lab, a radio long-forgotten crackles to life.

" _Temperatures continue to drop in Trolberg as more clouds gather into the area. Scientist are speculating if the strange blue portal above the forest far North of here was the cause of this strange phenomenon,"_

As the broadcaster continues with his report, a tall older woman quickly goes to check one of the many machines that surround the abandoned lab, her bright grey and white hair shining in the fragment of light that has made its way into the forgotten space. She quickly presses buttons and checks weather frequencies on her chiseled laptop, her eyes focused in concentration until she finally finds what she's looking for.

" _Weather forecast shows extreme cold coming toward Trolberg as well,"_ the broadcaster continues, " _implying that there is strong evidence that this chilling weather will continue throughout the week. While not proven to be dangerous yet, we recommend wearing coats for going out and warming up your homes as soon as possible."_

The woman silently chuckles hearing the man's report, shaking her head with disappointment as she clicks something on her laptop. Bright flashing light appears on the cracked screen, showing a huge red spiral far away from Trolberg. The light of the computer reflects off her crinkled white lab coat.

" _We will report more news as this weather develops. This is Jim Darryl signing off-"_

The man's voice abruptly cuts off as the woman turns off the radio with one simple kick of her foot. She grins widely as she finally hears intense beeping coming from her laptop, showing the huge red spiral lumbering its way toward Trolberg.

"Oh Jim," the woman says silently, "you have no idea what's coming…"


	6. The Full Truth

**_9/8/? – Daytime – Location: Still Trolberg_**

 _This entry isn't really going to be an update on my time in Trolberg, as I kind of structured it more like a theory and speculation page. This page is just going to be filled with notes speculating about my past because someone has to write them down while I'm here. Better it be me then really anyone else since I'm going through all this personally._

 ** _Possible reasons I'm here_**

 _Kidnapped – Not Confirmed_

 _Different Dimension – Likely_

 _Dreaming – Haven't woken up yet then_

 _Hallucinating – Everything feels way too real_

 _Simulation – Would partially explain memory loss and adults_

 _Sick Prank – Don't know who could pull something like this off_

 ** _Memory Loss_**

 _Don't remember if I have siblings or not_

 _Don't remember anything about my past_

 _Don't remember where I came from_

 _Don't remember how I got here_

 _BASICALLY DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING!_

 ** _What I KNOW_**

 _I KNOW for a fact that I have parents, I must have. Maybe they're out there looking for me._

 _I KNOW my name is Eric_

 _I KNOW that I have some strange qualities about me (Strange Dreams, Constant Nose Bleeds, Suddenly feeling warmer at times when it's supposed to be cold)_

 _I KNOW I can draw really well but don't remember drawing before my memory loss_

 _I KNOW that I have to find the blue haired girl that I saw in my dream_

 _I KNOW now that "Orbs" are really called "Woffs" here_

 _I KNOW that adults are rude and kids are nice here_

 ** _What I DON'T know_**

 _I DON'T know why I'm here_

 _I DON'T know how I even got here_

 _I DON'T know where I am really beside Trolberg_

 _I DON'T know what saved me at the wall_

 _I DON'T know what this whole "Bird Parade" nonsense is_

 _I DON'T know Trevor's past_

 _I DON'T know what to do…_

 ** _OBJECTIVES (DO THESE ERIC!)_**

 _Find a place to sleep tonight – Tired of sleeping on the forest ground after one day_

 _FIND BLUE HAIRED GIRL – Seriously, who and where could she be?_

 _Become friends with Trevor and group – have to remain on good terms with someone in this city_

 _Find out who I am – most important of all_

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

My pencil hovers silently over the paper as I concentrate on what to write down next for "objectives".

There are a ton of things I can put, but I'm still having trouble trying to write them down. Besides, even if I was able to write down half of the things I _need_ to do, none of it would be small enough to fit in the crowded page I had just made. I know when someone runs out of space, they would usually just go to the next page and continue writing a sentence down, but that's not how I really do things when I write.

I'm more of a _"make things look good in your journal"_ type of guy, and I like following that pattern.

Needless to say, whether I have a lot of space or not, it is quite surprising how full my journal is getting now, considering that I've only had it for like two days at this point. Most pages are still empty, but the ones that have writing are filled with little doodles and paragraphs I made, to the point where it looks like there's almost no space.

I don't know if the reason is because of my little doodles or because of all the things I want to say, but whatever the case may be, my journal is a bit overloaded right now. Not only that, but it's getting harder to write things since the pages keep getting worn down and torn.

If anyone really did kidnap me, then they gave me really lousy notebooks to write my thoughts down on-

"Heads Up!" B. calls, causing me to jump.

I look up just in time to see a can approach me at a very fast speed, which freaks me out since that thing looks very _sharp_. My foot reacts automatically and I kick the can away with all the strength I can muster. The can flies in the air, in what seems like slow motion, before falling down quickly toward Trevor's boot. Trevor laughs as he kicks it toward Mike, who manages to also kick it toward B.

Even though I have memory loss, it's easy to tell what game their playing considering they're kicking a can around to each other like a soccer ball.

When B. gets the can, she keeps kicking it over and over with her shoes to keep it in the air before passing it over to Trevor again. Trevor attempts to kick the can toward Mike again, but he stumbles a bit with his boots and he misses, causing the can to fly past him and land into the grass where it rolls softly to its side.

"Trevor missed!" B. called out happily, "he's out!"

"No fair," Traver said, "you completely messed up my mojo doing that fancy kicking trick of yours."

"The rules state that as long as you _kick_ the can with your feet and nothing else then it's technically allowed Trevor," B. replies smugly.

I look over toward Trevor with slight curiosity to see if he's going to yell or say something back to her, but Trevor simply just rolls his eyes and walks over to the bench where I sit. He just plops down right next to me and quietly watches B. and Mike start their final a 1v1 round.

"I'm going to destroy you!" Mike says jokingly.

"Please, I'm the master at this game," B says, "you're just digging your own grave challenging me!"

"Oh, it is on!" Mike replies

Soon, the two engage in an all-out war between each other, kicking the can so fast toward one another that my eyes can barely focus on it. I look toward Trevor to see his reactions to the whole contest, only to find him twiddling around with his scarf, looking almost bored. I don't know if it's because he lost or because he's sitting here with me instead of playing.

Maybe I should talk to him.

Usually, besides asking questions about the world, I'm in, I'm not the one to really start a conversation about anything. Not because I'm shy, but because half the time I don't really have anything to say. Which seems unbelievable right? Someone like me having nothing to say when I could be making an entire speech asking about everything this city has to offer.

But that's really the truth, half the time I don't really know what to say. In a situation like this where everything about _me_ , in particular, is a mystery, it's hard to talk to anyone else about _their_ problems. It's why I usually let other people, or in this case, Trevor and his friends to do the talking for me.

 _I have to stop that trend,_ I think silently.

"Hey Trevor," I say, "who are you rooting for?"

Trevor looks at me with questioning eyes when he hears me.

"What?" he replies.

 _Not off to a great start…_

"I said, who are you rooting for?" I ask.

He stays silent for a bit, turning toward Mike and B. to compare the two options I guess. He seems super distracted ever since we got to this little park, like he isn't having any fun which seems super odd to me. I haven't known Trevor for long, but I know for a fact that he's always about cheering others up, even if they are a pain in the butt.

"I don't know," Trevor says suddenly, "I guess Mike…"

I turn to ask why he makes that choice, but my mouth stays shut the moment I see his eyes, saddened and guilt-ridden. It's pretty clear he wants to be alone right now.

For a few moments, me and Trevor are quiet as the game between Mike and B. heats up. It seems as if B. has the upper hand with her kicking skills, but Mike is able to keep up the pace a bit with her as if he can sense where she will kick it.

It looks like it's going to be one long game of kick the can.

The air around me starts to get warmer, so the sun might be coming out now and heating up everything. That's good, considering the whole day has been kind of chill overall. Trevor and his friends kept saying how cold it was, which was kind of annoying since I didn't really feel any freezing weather. Hopefully, now that it's getting warmer, everyone's moods can improve a bit.

"Thank goodness for this heatwave," I say leaning back in the bench, "am I right?"

Trevor looks at me again, but seemingly looking more confused rather than in agreement with what I said.

"Are you kidding? It's still freezing out here Eric," Trevor replies.

It's very weird, how much Trevor keeps insisting it's cold when it's really not for me. I don't know what they're feeling exactly, but all I know is that things have been kind of hot for a while, at least for me. If Trevor and his friends keep saying they're cold though, then maybe something is kind off if I'm not feeling it.

Anyway, Trevor once again turns away from me and starts staring at the single tree in the little park. He almost seems entranced by it, like a strange spell catching his attention. It seems like a normal tree without its leaves since fall is happening, but for some strange reason, deep down inside me, I know it's important to Trevor.

I wonder if that tree has to do with something in his past.

When we first arrived at this park after leaving the wall, Trevor instantly stopped talking to us for a bit after noticing the tree. Mike and B. paid no attention to it, not even me at first, but Trevor couldn't stop staring at it. I didn't notice until B. decided to describe the rules of "kick the can". While B. was going on and on about what was and wasn't allowed, I couldn't help but glance at Trevor, who was still keeping his eyes on that huge tree for what seemed like no reason.

He must've come to this park before, I am positive about that.

"BOOM, I WIN!" Mike shouts, snapping my attention back to the game.

The can lies pathetically behind B.'s foot, and judging by her shocked face, it seems as if she clearly missed it.

"That is so not fair!" B. yells back, "I would've totally beat you."

"Yeah, well ya didn't B." Mike smugly replies back, "who's the best at kick the can now?"

B. simply rolls her eyes and joins me and Trevor at the bench, clearly sour over her loss.

"As the winner of kick the can this game," Mike says, "I declare that one of the losers must do a special task for my amusement."

"Oh no," B. jokes, "I wonder which one of us it will be."

Mike stares at B. and Trevor as they chuckle over the joke, which causes a tiny smirk to appear on my face as well.

"B.! Thank you so much for volunteering," Mike suddenly says, "I have a very special task for you."

"But I did'n-"

"Sorry! Those are the rules and I chose you."

Trevor and I chuckle a bit as B. does her famous eye roll for the fortieth time. She stands and quickly follows Mike to the other side of the playground where they begin to discuss B.'s punishment for losing the game.

While it is amusing to see what Mike will make B. do, me and Trevor are now alone again, and I don't like that one bit. It's quite hard to strike up a conversation in these types of situations when you know something is clearly wrong but you don't know what to say.

"Eric?" Trevor says.

My attention snaps instantly toward Trevor, whos face is suddenly saddened once again.

"Yeah, Trevor?" I respond.

Trevor takes a bit to reply, looking down on to the ground covered with tiny rocks.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Eric?"

"Sure," I say, "what do you want to ask?"

More silence, more waiting again. Trevor keeps his hands clenched together as he looks at that one tree, possibly remembering something about anything.

"Why did your parents choose to move here?" Trevor finals says, "if you don't mind me asking."

The word "parents" sends sharp pain through my heart, and Trevor says it so casually that it somehow makes me hate him for saying it. That moment of hatred quickly dies away though because I know I haven't told him the truth about my past. It's not his fault that he's curious and sensibly assumed that my parents moved with me here, but it's still bad to think about it.

"They just wanted a change of scenery," I lie, "they didn't… like the old town we lived in."

More lies, something I hate to do so much and yet it comes out of my mouth so easily.

"Oh," Trevor says, "what was your old town like then?"

My mouth opens to respond to him, only for it to close quickly when I realize how I have no idea how to lie my way out of that one. It's way harder to come up with the words to describe a fake location then it is to lie about yourself.

"It was… very… windy," I say, "and also kind of big. I had a lot of friends there… but we kind of drifted apart…"

Trevor stares at me with an actual look of genuine sorrow on his face. I don't know if it's meant for me and my "friends" or if it's just him remembering something similar to my situation, but he seems to be at least a little sorry for me. Which makes me feel worse knowing I'm lying to him at all.

"Eric," Trevor finally gets out, "these friends of yours.. have… you ever hurt them without meaning to? Like… you didn't know they were going to be mad about something you did?"

The question intrigues me, but I know better than to ask Trevor why he's asking it. Maybe he hurt someone a long time ago and didn't know it at the time. Is that why he looks so sad right now? Has he been holding something in that he regrets? If that's the case then I feel even worse for lying to him right in his face.

I have to help him get through whatever is bothering him.

"Well… yeah," I respond, "I used to… hurt them before without knowing. I usually just apologized though and hope they forgave me-"

"But what if they really don't like you for what you did?" Trevor blurts out, "because of something someone did a long time ago? What if you did something they really didn't like, hated in fact, and they think you're just a bad person because of it?"

Trevor was really being specific with these questions. Something has to be troubling him, but I have no idea what to tell him to make his sadness go away

"Trevor," I finally ask, "I-Is something wrong? It feels like something's bothering you…"

Everything grows quiet, even the murmuring conversation between B. and Mike fade into the vivid background of my mind. Trevor seems visibly upset and sad, but he's trying so hard to hide the fact that he isn't.

"It's just… I'm having a hard time coping with things right now."

"Things like what?" I ask.

He keeps shifting around on the bench, looking at the rocks and trees over and over again. To someone walking by, it might look like he's having a mental breakdown, but I know personally that he's just trying to find the words to say to me.

Once Trevor sighs, however, it's clear he wasn't able to find any words that made sense to reply with, looking away at me and toward the tree.

"You wouldn't understand. Everyone thinks I'm crazy because of it, and I don't want to scare off another new kid."

Wait a second, what? Is he talking about that Hilda girl again? She's the only other "new kid" that comes to mind ever since Trevor told me about her during the ding dong ditch game. Something must've happened between the both of them that really messed him up.

Is that's what's happening right now? Is my presence alone enough to remind him of something that happened between him and Hilda? I definitely do not want Trevor to feel worse for himself, but what if I am just by sitting beside him?

The wind is getting stronger, so strong in fact that it feels like my next few words are practically ripped right out of my mouth.

"A-am I causing this Trevor?" I blurt out, "am... I causing whatever you're feeling right now?"

Trevor's eyes widen.

"What? N-no Eric," Trevor says, "you're one of the nicest and understanding people I've met so far!"

He didn't really answer my question, but I don't even notice.

"Really?" I reply, "you mean that after just a few hours hanging out with me?"

Trevor takes a moment before answering me back, which somehow hurts more than it should for me.

"Of course," he says, "swear on my life."

"Then tell me what's going on with you," I say, "if I'm really that understanding, then just tell me what's making you sad so I can help."

There's a slight pause between the two of us after I say that.

"It's okay Trevor," I say, "you can talk to me. I may be new here, but that doesn't mean you should hide your feelings to make me feel comfortable hanging out with you."

Trevor looks back at the tree again, for a really long time now.

"You're going to think I'm crazy if I tell you," Trevor replies.

Again, I almost laugh considering all the things that have happened to me before I met Trevor, but I know better than to do that in his face right now.

"Trevor, I promise I won't think your nuts," I say, "In fact, I _don't_ think your nuts at all. I mean, I've been through some crazy stuff to, maybe even crazier stuff then you went through. If there's anyone here that will understand what happened to you, it's me."

For a fleeting moment, I see a smirk appear on Trevor's face as he struggles to hold in his smile.

"You're positive you want to hear this Eric?" Trevor says.

"Never been more willing," I reply, "and again, I promise I won't think your nuts."

Trevor leans back on the bench and breathes out a couple of times. He waits a bit, probably focusing on all those awful memories he has. It hurts to see Trevor so visibly sad and guilty, but I need to help him after all he's done for me.

After a few seconds of silence, Trevor starts to talk.

"It happened a year ago," he starts, "it was on the day of the bird parade and… me and my friends were just kinda hanging out. I think we were talking about something stupid when out of the blue walked up this girl."

Almost instantly before Trevor even confirmed who it was, I knew who he was talking about.

"Her name was Hilda, which I already told you a while ago. She had just moved to Trolberg from the wilderness. She was a new kid, just like you… only… things didn't work out so well when we hung out with her…"

Trevor looked down at the rocks on the ground after he said that, quieter than ever.

"What happened between you two?" I asked.

He didn't even finish his story yet, but I already knew it probably wasn't going to have a happy ending.

"I'm not the best person ever Eric," he starts up again, "I'm still not, but a year ago I was way worse than I am now. Technically I was known as the mighty Trolberg troublemaker back then. I did pranks, I made fun of other kids, I think once I even broke a window."

Me and Trevor laugh when he says that, kind of lighting the mood a bit.

"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that because of what happened next," Trevor continues, "we were taking her around the city… trying to get her to participate in our crazy little pranks… but unlike you… she didn't seem to really get what we were doing."

"She was confused about it right?" I asked, "her coming from the wilderness and all?"

"I guess you could say that…" he replied, "we tried to teach her, but either she could not understand one bit of what we were doing, or she just didn't like what we were doing at all."

More silence and hesitation.

"We went to this park after a while, this exact same _stupid_ park were in right now… and I did… the _stupidest_ thing in the history of _stupidity_ ever."

Him saying that sentence alone sends chills down my already warm spine. Whatever he did might actually make me think he's nuts if it's as bad as he's telling it. Thousands of possibilities race through my mind, each one worst then the last.

"Well, it couldn't have been that bad… right?" I ask

"Oh no, it was the worst thing I ever did before. I-I just wasn't thinking. There were all these b-birds in the tree and Hilda was showing us all these rocks, and I don't know why but I just… started throwing them at the tree where the birds were and…"

Trevor grows quiet, the entire park grows quiet at this point. I don't even say anything as I process what Trevor just told me.

Honestly, a part of me is relieved knowing he just threw a rock at a couple of birds, since all of the other scenarios in my head were much worse than that. But… that is really messed up as well. Sure, Trevor has been kind to me and all, but animal cruelty is where I draw the line. Even if it is for something as insignificant as birds. The panic that must've gone through those birds minds, through Hilda's mind even. It makes so much sense now why he keeps looking at the rocks now as well. They look good for throwing, they're all so smooth and small just like a baseball.

My fingers heat up just thinking about that.

 _Those poor birds…_

"Did you hit one?" I say.

"Yes…" Trevor replies, "I hit this raven in the tree and… Hilda just freaked out over it, ran right over to try and help it and started accusing us of hurting him. I don't blame her for how she reacted now, but back then I wasn't even sure why she was so mad."

So Hilda is an animal lover. It makes sense since Trevor said she came from the wilderness far beyond here. It must've been such a change for her, leaving from the woods and coming to a city, where she watched animals like that raven get tormented by kids.

"It's not the worst part though…" Trevor says again, "it's not even the worst part…"

That brings my attention up. There's more to this story? There's something even worse than hitting a bird with a rock in front of a girl? Oh god, this is about to make me freak out.

"What happened next then?" I ask.

No words, more silence again. He must be thinking really hard on that day.

"Everyone else was further back, but I was closer to hear it," Trevor says, "I was the only one to hear it besides Hilda, I heard that bird talk… I swear I did."

So that's what he and his friends were talking about when I first saw them walking in the park. He said something about birds talking and his friends joked about it. Trevor was trying to convince his friends that he heard that raven talk about a year ago. He was trying to convince them that a bird talked…

Somehow… that doesn't sound completely far-fetched, considering I don't really know this place all that well.

"Hilda ran with the bird before I could find out if it could really talk, and my friends made fun of me for the rest of the day for it as well. They just wouldn't stop bringing it up no matter how much I tried to convince them. I knew they needed to see it for them to stop teasing me, so I went looking for the bird."

Trevor pauses as he attempts to catch his breath.

"I found him moments later at one of the statues. He was calling for Hilda but I just grabbed him and put him in a cage so he didn't escape. I tried to get him to talk to show my friends, but they just thought I was crazy!"

His voice was getting louder now. So loud that even B. and Mike could actually hear him and started looking over to us. I could see out of the corner of my eye that their heads tilted over in our direction. Did they actually hear Trevor talking about how much they made fun of him? If they are listening, I wonder what they're thinking about right now. Maybe they think he's lost it, or maybe they're having trouble coping with hearing Trevor's side of the story.

"Then this invisible thing just started attacking me or something. I swear I heard a voice telling the bird to run. I got to the raven before it could escape, but my friends thought I was insane, so I ran away to the river to try and get it to talk to me."

Trevor didn't even stop talking, he kept chugging on through sentences, even when he was out of breath.

"I heard someone behind me, and I thought it was like… an adult or something, but then I lost hold on the cage the raven was in and he just… fell into the water…"

This time, my eyes widen just hearing that.

"Did it… die?" I say.

"No, no it did not die," Trevor says, his voice sadder and quieter, "it didn't matter if it fell in. It turned out that the raven wasn't just a raven…"

The wind has died down now, stopping the sound of blowing leaves and crackling tree branches. The park has grown so silent you could practically hear a pin drop. It's as if the park had purposefully gone silent just so I could hear every word Trevor said next.

"It was the Great Raven," Trevor suddenly says, "I almost accidentally killed the Great Raven…"

The name "Great Raven" strikes a chord with me, even though I have no idea what Trevor is even remotely talking about. I could ask him, but Trevor doesn't seem to be in the mood to really explain anything now. Still, this "Great Raven" thing reminds me of something. I don't know what, but it reminds me of something from a long time ago that I struggle to remember.

Trevor stays completely quiet again to allow me to digest everything he told me. The sadness and guilt shown on his face is so strong that my heat actually burns with aching worry for him. That raven though, how much pain and torment he put it through trying to prove himself. Even if I don't know who the Great Raven is, I still think Hilda was maybe a little right to leave Trevor and his friends so quickly after what happened. Heck, I might've even left them if I saw that.

But unlike Hilda, I've hung out with Trevor long enough to know he isn't like that at all anymore He's not mean and rude at all like everyone in Trolberg might say he is. I can see the other side of Trevor, the one full of guilt and sadness thinking about what he did. The one that saved me from Mr. Loden and took me all around the city with his friends. He made me laugh and not worry about this messed up situation I'm in, even if it was for a few moments.

He's a good kid, and kids mess up sometimes. Even I make mistakes like with that lady at the square when I probably should've just stayed with her. It's clear though from one look at Trevor that he's willing to try and learn from his mistake and never do what he did again.

Trevor looks up at me after he finishes his story. He looks calmer, almost relieved now after he told me all that. He must've been holding all of that pain and guilt into his chest for so long.

"Well Eric," Trevor says, "do you still think I'm not crazy after hearing that?"

And then he smiles, he actually smiles after saying that. Not a fake smile either, but a genuine "I just poured out my entire screwed up backstory for you but I hope we can still be friends" smiles. His smile is enough to make my heart cool down and to feel the cold air breeze across my face once again.

"That entire story sounded a bit crazy," I respond, "and what you did back then is certainly messed up, But there is no way I'd ever think you're crazy after what you did for me today."

This time I smile to show I really mean it.

"Still though," I say again, "that's kind of messed up what you did back then."

"Trust me, I know," Trevor replies, "I've been replaying it over and over in my mind every day and I know I messed up. I just don't know how to approach her after something like that though."

Again, my eyes widen when hearing that.

"Wait? You mean you haven't even gone up to her after that whole thing?"

Trevor shakes his head, clearly ashamed.

"No, not even when I pass her in the school hallways,"

"Wait," I start to say, "so you're telling me that after an entire year after that whole thing, you haven't even approached or apologized to her at all?"

Trevor looks away.

"It's not that simple Eric," he replied, "I can't just go up to her and say "sorry for hitting that bird" after an entire year of not saying anything about it. And even if I got the courage to go up to her, she wouldn't even want to talk to me anyway after what I did."

"That's exactly why you have to do it though," I say back, "you have to go up to her and show her you're not that kind of person anymore Trevor. Even if it's super awkward and cringy, you have to apologize or else she's just going to think of you forever as that one horrible kid who almost killed a bird."

Trevor actually looks uncomfortable when I tell him that, shifting around in his seat and glancing at the ground.

"I wouldn't know what to say though-"

"It won't matter what you say Trevor," I continue, "as long as you show to her that you genuinely feel bad about what you did and apologize for it. It's clear that you really do feel horrible for what you did after you told me that story. So show her that you regret it and want to make up for it."

My finger begins to feel heat again, but this time I pay no attention and look Trevor right in his eyes,

"Trevor, you have to do this," I say again, "not only to show Hilda you regret what you did, but to give yourself closure and end the pain of feeling guilty."

Silence returns to the park after I say that, and out of all the quiet moments of my day, this one just so happens to be the longest and most worrying. Trevor has trouble thinking of what to say, but I wait for him to slowly find his words and turn toward me.

"Do you really think she'll talk to me Eric?" he asks.

"Of course," I say simply, "just apologies, and then you both can let it go."

The heat from my finger vanish, and suddenly the cool breeze of air surrounds me once again. It's such a weird moment to suddenly feel the cold again, but I don't mind it at all. My focus is solely on Trevor, who just sits there thinking.

His eyes show conflicted thoughts they slightly dart back and forth as if he's shifting through many options through his mind not knowing which one is right. Kind of like me when I think about my past, not being able to move through the fuzzy details in my brain.

It takes a long time, but he finally smirks and looks at me.

"Thanks, Eric," Trevor says, "for telling me all that. I knew I had to do it, but I… think I was waiting for someone to actually talk me into it…"

"So you're going to apologize to her?" I say.

He nods. It's barely noticeable, but I can see his head moving slightly.

"Yeah," he answers, "I'm going to apologize to her as soon as I get the chance."

I simply smile and nod to show Trevor I agree with his choice, but the inside of my head feels like a huge party is going on in celebration.

Three hours ago I met Trevor and his friends, and I barely knew a thing about them. I still don't really, but somehow it feels like It's been days, even weeks for me since I met them. All those times we laughed and played around, exploring the wall with them and ding dong ditching other people's houses. All those emotions I felt and saw just by hanging out with a couple of kids my age. It was all there in three hours.

I still can't even believe that in three hours alone, I've done that much with them.

"Thanks, Trevor," I say out of the blue, "for letting me hang out with you guys today."

"It's no problem Eric," he says, "after what happened today, I think it's safe enough to say that you're basically a part of our group now."

The warm feeling in my body rises again, but this time it's not the heat that takes over, rather happiness knowing that I'm now officially friends with Trevor.

Then my body suddenly started to get hotter, even hotter than before which sent me standing up quickly off the bench. I don't even notice Trevor and his friend's reactions because of the warm feeling my nose was getting. Something warm and thick starts to crawl out of my nose again and slide onto my skin. My finger instantly wiped away whatever it was, only to pull back and find a bright red bloodstain on my hand and part of my jacket.

"Eric!" Trevor yells, "y-your nose is bleeding!"

I couldn't process what Trevor was saying, because then a crushing feeling started to overtake my head. It felt like sledgehammers crushing my skull, completely destroying whatever part of my brain was left.

 _Oh god, it's happening again!_

My eyes watered, my heart raced. Everything felt so burning hot, and my nose was pouring with blood. The feeling in my legs completely give away and I fall harshly onto the ground.

"Eric! What's wrong?! Do we need to call someone?!" Mike says, "Eric?!"

I can't even respond to them since before I can mutter a word, my entire world flashes into nothing.


	7. Free Running

**_?/?/? - ? - ?_**

 _I no longer care..._

 _Because there's something inside me that's not right. It's not real. Everything is fake, and frankly, I just don't care anymore..._

 _There is, for some people anyway, a point in their life when they stopped caring. Often it's because something stupid or unreasonable happened to them, so they stopped giving any sense to the problem at hand. There are other times when people no longer care because they're just bored with the same repetition and knowledge being handed to them over and over again..._

 _And then, there are those rare occasion when something horrifying happens to then. A traumatic experience that pushes them over the edge and sends them into the abyss. Like when a bell rings two times too much, or when a mother loses her children to a dream of a bird flying through the sky._

 _These people who no longer care end up leaving their problems behind. They run, free from the weight of guilt and attention to their overlaying view they believed didn't need to be focused on. Sometimes, in their opinion, it's best to not care in some situations. I'm_

 _The only problem to that answer though is... that she_ ** _did_** _care..._

 _And then the bell rings at midnight._

* * *

 _E_ ** _rI_** _c_ **L** Y _o_ ** _n_ S**

 _I don't understand what happened._

 _One second I was sitting with Trevor and talking about his past, and then the next second I'm watching myself falling to the floor with my nose covered in blood._

 _I'm not kidding either about that either, I actually watch myself fall toward the cold hard ground of the park from the sky. It's like watching a movie, except you watch yourself playing out the events of the main character._

 _Right now, it feels as if I'm a ghost, floating around like I weigh nothing. It actually feels like there's nothing at all around me right now which is highly concerning. All my clothes are on my body, but it feels as if I'm wearing a paper-thin robe. I want to touch myself to see if my hand potentially goes through my body, but I resist the temptation._

 _This must be what they call one of those "out of body" experiences, and right now it's more terrifying than anything I've ever been through ever. More terrifying than waking up not knowing who I am. More terrifying than falling in the sky. Even more, terrifying than almost potentially almost dying at the wall of Trolberg._

 _What makes the whole thing even worse is that Trevor and his friends saw me fall unconscious as well. I still can't help but worry about how they might be reacting to my sudden collapse. There's no way they're taking it lightly, as I can still remember how they reacted before I blacked out. This actually might be as horrifying for them then it is for me. Have they ever seen a kid pass out before? Do they even know what to do?_

 _Before I can even think about what I should do right now, the air around me warps. The entire place twist and turns, fizzing away as something new appears. The ground below me changes suddenly before my eyes. Everything around me dissolves and is quickly replaced with a field of dark green grass._

 _My eyes dart around to see where I am, only to find that there is nothing in this place other than tall wild grass. I'm standing in the center of this random field, trying my best not to disturb any bugs that might lurk within the grass. It's dark, and the moon is shining brightly onto the dim plain bellow. There are a lot of stars out, almost too many to count, scattering the sky like glitter powdered onto a dark black paper._

 _This place oddly feels familiar despite it being some random field. Like with so many of my memories, I have no recollection of being here, but it somehow feels like I know this place. It's hard to really describe, but it's like if you walked into a room not remembering ever being in it, but feeling oddly comfortable inside despite never "being" there._

 _I look down to see if there's anything around me, only to find that my jacket is covered in something red and sticky. There's a slight moment where I almost gasp in surprise until I realize that the red stuff on my jacket is not actually blood like I thought it was. Its actually red punch. I can tell it is because of the sweet and strong scent coming from the juice all over me._

 _It's weird how sticky the juice is, and how awful I feel covered in it, but somehow this reminds me of something. I don't exactly know what yet, but this place and this juice on me reminds me of something long ago in my brain. If only I could think hard enough and break through that stupid fuzzy barrier keeping my memories away._

 _Suddenly, the location changes drastically, causing me to step back a bit until the scene fully develops around me. I watch as wood logs fly into place, and chairs reposition themselves in quick movement before my eyes._

 _After a bizarre but quick show put on by the moving furniture and flying objects, everything slowly settles down and locks in place before I can take in where I am. With the wood logs as wall and wooden furniture and wooden everything else, I guessing that I'm in an old cabin. Like one of those really early pioneer cabins or something from the old days._

 _The really old cabin is completely open, with no rooms whatsoever. I see a makeshift dining room, with three bowls of hot soup on the wooden table. There's also a "living room", which really just consists of a few chairs, a lantern perched on a table, and a couple of wooden toys. There are two beds in this small place, both large enough for at least two people._

 _This place doesn't really trigger any fuzzy memories of mine to appear or anything, so I guess this might be a vision of someplace in Trolberg. It must be because where else could this cabin be? Maybe in the woods nearby? There's no way I'm going out there if that's the case, I still barely know what's in the city, let alone the woods._

 _What if it's that blue-haired girl's house? Maybe she lives here in this place and her parents just like to be old fashioned or something. That doesn't make much sense, but it's the only clue I have right now…_

 _Just as I have that thought, the location changes again, and suddenly I'm at a street. This time, there are other people here. A lot of people actually, all of them cheering and smiling at something. Confetti flings into the air and lands gently onto the crowd where I stand. Bright colors invade my eyes as light shines into on the floats._

 _This vision makes more sense to me since I think I already know what this place is. The confetti and lights everywhere. The people dressed in feathered capes and wear bird masks. The decorated floats that sail along the ground. This must be that bird parade that's coming up on Alication square. Everyone's talking about it in the city, but again, why would they celebrate a bird?_

 _The only bird that comes to mind is the Great Raven. When Trevor told me about his past, he talked about the bird parade where he accidentally captured the Great Raven. Is this parade meant for that raven perhaps?_

 _It must be since there are all of these bird floats and costumes, and the raven that they celebrate must have a special quality about him since people throw a party for him every year. Trevor told me the bird didn't die when it fell into the river, so maybe it's an immortal bird? That must be the answer since why else would they throw a parade and call a raven "Great" if it was just a normal bird?_

 _The world around me warps again, signaling another change. I step back into the crowd and prepare myself for a sudden switch as the world transforms into something else. Once the world stops warping and settles down, I look around to see where I am, only to then suddenly start falling. I barely have enough time to register what has happened before l land pathetically on the ground._

 _Even as a ghost, the pain in my head is immense, and it's all I can do to keep screaming out. Wherever I am right now, it's burning hot. Wait, no it's boiling hot more like it. My hands feel like they're about to melt off. The intense heat from the fire and flames lick my skin, only giving me a taste for how hot everything is right now. I can hear a slowly toiling bell pounding in the background. Swinging around pounding against its metal insides. The sound comes from all around me, but I can barely notice it._

 _My feet wobble and whine, but I force myself to stand up despite how much everything hurts. To support myself, I grab onto a platform right next to me to keep balance. Everything is shaking, and I barely can register what's happening. My eyes water and burn, but somehow I open them wide enough to see what's happening._

 _I'm on a road, a very dark road filled with debris from something, and in front of me is fire. Fire is everywhere, burning homes, and banners, and even the solid covered ground. Candy and outfits litter the street, but all of it is burning as well. It's all burning…_

 _What in the world happened here?_

 _It hurts to keep my eyes open, but I still look up and see it. There's not much left of the statue, but I can still see it. That colorful bird statue is burning, the flames tearing away the beak and eyes, and all of the confetti someone used to give it glowing life. Twisted metal escapes the figure, slowly melting and dripping onto the concrete below._

 _This is the parade, it's the same one I saw moments earlier. Oh my god, nothing will survive whatever this is. If this really is the bird parade, then that means all of Trolberg is in trouble. The fire is so high and so boiling hot that no one will live. I have to warn someone, I have to-_

" _My child…"_

 _The voice comes from behind. I whip around to see who it is, only to find more fire around me. There's clearly nothing here, but I swear I heard that voice from some-_

" _My sweet…"_

 _There it is again? Who is talking? What is even happening now?_

" _They're some things I'd rather keep discreet…"_

 _My eyes dart in every direction, but I find no one around me. The bright burning flames are all I can see now. Whoever it is, sounds just like a woman, but not like the blue-haired girl from my previous vision. She sounded much younger than whoever is talking now. This voice, this person, sounds calmer and has a smooth angelic voice. Like a siren out in the sea…_

" _Who is talking to me?" I call out, "what is happening?"_

 _No answer, only the sound of constant destruction calls back to me. It worries me…_

" _Why is this happening to me?!" I yell, "What did I do to deserve all this?!"_

 _Only the roar of the fire answers back._

 _There's no one at all now in the fire, at least I think so. This is all just getting too much for me anyway. Why is it me? Why is this happening to me in the first place? I know that the questions won't be answered now, but I feel like I kind of deserve to know after all of this happened to me._

" _The girl is across the street," the voice says._

 _I look up when I hear the voice…_

 _And come face to face with a dark shadow in the fire._

" _Follow her… or we'll never meet."_

 _The moment they say that my head explodes in everlasting pain until I can't take it anymore and I pass out again into the darkness._

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

My nose stops bleeding.

It happens in an instant, but I can just feel the stream of blood pouring out of my nose suddenly vanish like it never existed in the first place. The blood on my nose is still there, but it's stopped running down my skin. The same goes for my head, there's no longer any pain like there was a moment ago. It's like it all just simply vanished.

The only thing that feels weird is how hot it is. Everything just feels hot now, my face, my body, the air. It feels like burning fire right now, that I can practically taste the ash around me and feel flames crawling up my skin right now. Just like in that dream where everything was burning during the parade. It's almost like it's happening again.

"Eric?!" Trevor says, "are you okay?!"

I look up to see Trevor holding on to my shoulders, trying to shake me out of my lucent trance. I didn't even know he was there for a second until Trevor's voice shook me out.

He's probably freaking out right now about what just happened to me.

I try to say "I'm fine", but it comes out more like a jumble of words than me actually talking, which just confuses Trevor and his friends even more.

"There's blood all over his nose!" Mike says.

"Of course there's blood Mike!" B. yells, "we can clearly see that."

"Everyone just shut up for a second!" Trevor yells, "Eric, how many fingers am I holding up?"

I look over to see Trevor holding three fingers up, but I don't even notice him that much after what I see what's behind him at the other side of the street.

On the sidewalk across from the park, I see a girl with bright blue hair.

She doesn't see me, but I watch her with an intense focus to make sure it's real. She's walking with two other kids, a boy and another girl. I can't see the other kids though, because all I can see is her, the girl with the bright blue hair in my dream. She's right across the street and I can barely stand up right now. That figure in my dream said she was across the street, and it was right. She was…

"It's her…" I say out loud.

"What?" Trevor replies, "what are you talking about Eric?"

I look up to see the worried faces of Trevor and friends staring down on me, probably wondering what just happened to the kid they met. I bet they didn't expect me to suddenly start bleeding through my nose and falling down.

My head spins toward the street again to see the girl exiting my vision. She's getting away! I can't let her get away from me, she's my only chance figuring out what's happening!

It only takes one look, but it's clear what I had to do next. Trevor and his friends have been so kind to me, but I can't keep going with them. Not like this, while I have these intense dreams and nosebleeds; I have to follow the blue-haired girl now. She's probably my only hint, my only clue on what might be going on around here, and I know that if I bring Trevor and his friends with me, they would only get in the way and possibly get hurt trying to help.

If I don't follow her, that vision where everything burns might come true, and Trevor and his friends might get hurt from that as well. Everyone will if I don't…

 _You need to get away from them,_ I think to myself, _no matter how much it hurts._

I stand up, shakily, causing Mike and B. to help me up by holding onto my arms to make sure I don't fall. Their kindness only makes me feel worse for what I'm about to do.

"That was one hell of a fall," B. says, "are you okay-"

"I have to go right now," I interrupt, trying not to fall down, "I'm really sorry."

The look of surprise on their faces hurts, but I force myself to stand up and ignore them as I watch the last glimpse of bright blue hair turn the corner.

"Wait, Eric-" Trevor says, but I cut him off.

"I really have to leave now, " I say, backing away toward the gate of the park.

"Where are you going, Eric?" Mike calls.

"Just going home," I reply, "I'm really sorry, but I'll see you guys again soon… hopefully."

I don't turn back as I run after the girl, even after I hear the voice of Trevor and his friends calling out my name.

 _I'm sorry…_

* * *

 **?**

First, there was darkness, and then blinding light that manifested into the lab.

With a flick of a switch, the forgotten building came to life as the generator whirred into motion. Cracked monitors snapped on, weather devices slowly lit up, and the machine's churned with function. The lights, while only a few dim, lit up the room nicely to give off the impression that the lab was still in working order.

Crouching near the generator, the older women smiled brightly. Her man-made invention had worked as intended, giving purpose back to most of the withered computers and devices once again. All of them slowly blinked as they turned on, while others instantly showed images of radars and temperature stats of the entire region of the land.

The women now rushed over to the lively machines, intent with checking each one to see if they still worked as well as her old laboratory. She smiled as each screen flashed on, revealing even more devilish red blobs lumbering its way toward Trolberg.

Then the cameras came on.

One by one, they crackled to life, revealing locations of Trolberg the old women were all too familiar with. The women didn't know who set up the cameras, but whoever it was, she was thankful that they had, as she now had a huge birds-eye view of Trolberg entirely. Each sight she saw from the monitors she remembered clearly, like the town hall, and the numerous forest surrounding Trolberg.

But there was one camera she had her eyes closely fixated on, one which she watched with great interest.

The screen showed a boy, running on the sidewalk alone, with a bloodstained shirt and blue jacket.

Everyone walked past him with no care for who the boy was, but she saw him… she was looking for him from the very beginning. He was the very same kid she saved from the wall a few days ago, she remembered him when one of her many drones patrolling the area caught him. She didn't know the child's name, but she didn't care, all she cared about was getting him to her as soon as possible before the girl did. She had to find him as soon as possible.

"I'm going to find you, kid," she whispered silently to herself, "I'm going to find you…"


	8. Running Free

**_?/?/? - ? - ?_**

 _There are some who are lucky, and some who are not. It is as simple as that._

 _Yet you continue to assume that it is in your control to punish those within the misfortune of doubting you. You seem to think, that those who did wrong must be done wrong back, and in that way, society can return to it's most basic form. Do you still think that after all these years, this is what you need? Tragedies happen, mistakes are made. And it is within us as human beings to forgive and forget such tragedies and move on with our lives until something of good will or luck is passed down._

 _Although, now that I think about it. You aren't really human now. Are you?_

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

I felt as if my body was crushing me with emotional pain as I rushed down the sidewalk.

There was no time to feel sorry about running off as I did from Trevor's group. Right now, the only thing I'm focused on with one hundred percent concentration is that blue haired girl. She was way ahead of me, standing with a crowd of people waiting for the light to change so she could cross the road at a busy street intersection

The blue-haired girl was there, _right_ there in front of my own eyes, with only two other people by her side that I didn't know. I could only assume that they were her friends, but I honestly didn't pay any attention to them. The only thing I cared about right now was the girl with the shining blue hair, who was making her way across the street with all the other adults as the cars had now stopped for them.

The light was red, the change would be quick. I only had a few moments to cross the intersection before the cars started high tailing it to wherever they were going to go. Without even thinking, I completely rushed across the street as the light's color changed from red to green, trying my best to avoid bumping into anyone along the way.

The cars drove right on by on the road, honking and shouting at something nearby, but It didn't even concern me, I was already safe on the other side.

My eyes scanned the ever-growing crowd of adults and teens around me before I quickly spotted a bright blue flash vanish deep within the chaos. It looks like she made it quite far from the few seconds I was preoccupied. I don't even know how she was able to make it so far with this many people around the area, but props to her for actually being able to do it.

The crowd grows at an alarming rate which is a little intimidating at first since I know myself to be the clumsy type, but right now nothing else matters except getting to the girl. Without her, I'll probably never find out what's happening to me and what I'm doing here.

With tight fist and a determined sigh, I step inside the busy crowd and make my way around the streets.

I quickly maneuvered my way past the citizens to try and reach the blue haired girl, trying my best to not bump into anyone along the way. The blue-haired girl was deep within the crowd, probably at least ten people ahead of me. It's still quite hard to believe she made it that far with all these people around, especially with her size being the same as mine. I guess she must be naturally quick on her feet.

Meanwhile, I'm stumbling about my own two feet as I try to make my way out of this place. There are people everywhere, and no one seems the least bit interested stopping for me to safely cross. My body was shoved and kicked as I traveled within the group, with me having no idea who was causing it.

How in the world do people navigate through this? And how in the world am I even still standing upright? If there's one thing I know for sure about me is that I'm a like a clumsy codfish when it comes to navigating through tight spaces.

My feet trip and fumble as I make my way out of the growing crowd. No one pays much attention to me when I fall over and out onto the sidewalk, which is good because no one is there to also watch me quickly recover and run after the blue haired girl again. There's no way I want anyone to see what I'm trying to do or attempt to follow me.

As I quickly run across the busy street, I catch sight of the girl's bright blue hair before it vanishes around a corner. This girl seems to have no intent on stopping for anyone, which makes things so much harder for me if I want to talk to her about my vision.

I surge forward passed the shops and people, weaving in and out to avoid accidentally hitting anyone on purpose. There are not many people here on this street, which is good. I find it better to run after someone on a quieter street then a busy one. The many shops that line the sidewalk don't provide too much of an obstacle as I just simply rush by them, ignoring their items and food and T.V's producing some kind of weird broadcast.

My feet grind to a halt at the corner and I turn to find the girl crossing another road to a nearby park. She looks like she's chatting and laughing with two other people, both appearing to be her age. She seems to be having a good time. At least a better time than me at least. There are lots of people around her, but I don't think reaching her will be much of a problem now since she's so close.

Now that I am closer though, I've begun to notice something peculiar about the girl. Her hair color is still the same unusual blue color, but there's something else that's off. Her hair is curlier than I originally remembered, and it's a bit shorter then I thought. Not to mention she's actually a bit taller than me when I know clearly that she looked to be around my height.

There's something's wrong with this entire situation. What if that's not the girl from my dream and another person who just happens to have blue hair as well? What if I made a big scene in front of Trevor and his friends for nothing?

I breathe in deeply and watch as the blue haired girl waves goodbye to her two other friends. They all smile and hug each other before heading separate ways, the blue haired girl deciding to head toward the park while her two friends continue deeper into the crowd.

Now she's alone, but I still have doubts about the girl's identity. I still think that I somehow got it wrong, which ache's my heart to admit. Was I too focused on her hair that I didn't even notice what she looked like? Is it even really her?

The girl makes her way into the park ahead before I make up my mind to continue following her, rushing my way forward in order cross the road and enter the park she's in before the light turns red again. I still might've gotten the person wrong, but I have to make sure.

I quickly jog across the street and stand in front of the entrance to the park, the sign looming above me with a heavy presence. Unlike the last few parks I've seen, this one is alive and full of families and children having a good time. They're unsurprisingly a lot of people swarming around the entrance trying to exit and enter, so I'm forced to maneuver my way through yet another crowd until I plop myself out and land into the park.

The moment I stand up and start my search for the blue haired girl again, I gasp in surprise for how pretty the place looks. Colorful flowers dot the trimmed hedges that line themselves along the path. The lush green grass shines in the sun like sparkling water. Even the trees look healthy and large, growing into the sky like giants.

No wonder there are so many people here playing on the playgrounds and having picnics, the park looks like an amazing place to hang out. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised since everything looks amazing and colorful in almost all of Trolberg, but I still can't help but be a little impressed with how things look around here. Maybe I should consider myself lucky that I landed here and not another city.

Anyway, as soon as I'm done admiring everything, I quickly get away from the crowd and continue my search for the blue haired girl. It actually doesn't take too long though since I see her instantly walking along the trail nodding her head to something.

I make sure to stay at least ten paces away from the blue haired girl as I try to think of some way to approach her casually. It was really hard to resist the urge to run straight up to her face and demand answers, but I'm still unsure if I want to leave a bad first impression on her like that. Besides, after taking one quick glance at her, I still am unsure that she's the same girl in my dream. She looked just as normal as anyone else here, unlike me who from one glance instantly looked like they didn't belong.

A group of kids playing with a ball rush past the girl, forcing her to stop in her tracks to let them pass. I'm closer to her now than I ever was before, all I need to do now is just talk to her… that's all…

With a sharp breath to prepare myself, I tap the girl's shoulder.

"Um e-excuse me?" I stutter, "I-I need to ask you -"

The girl turns around to look at me, and instantly my heart shatters into a million tiny pieces when I finally see her.

It's not her. From one simple look I can tell instantly it's not her. Her hair is blue, but natural orange strands stick out from under her cap as well. She looks nothing like the girl, as her eyes are bright green and she has freckles on her cheeks.

She eyes me cautiously, no doubt probably seeing the major disappointment on my face. I don't try to hide it either, because it's so hard to accept the fact that I actually got the girl's identity so wrong…

"Do you need to something?" the girl asked.

"N-no," I answer, "I-I was j-just-"

"Looking for someone right?" she finished, "and you happened to think I was this someone you were looking for?"

I nod silently, no longer being able to function words.

The girl looks at me closely and then takes a step closer to me.

"Are you new here?" she asked, "you don't look like anyone I've ever seen before…"

I want to instantly just want to pour out everything I've been through so far, but I hold back and just nod silently in hopes to not freak her out. The girl looks me over again before smirking.

"I figured that was the case," she said, "you have those same 'fish out of water' eyes I see with every new kid."

There's a lingering silence between us as the girl looks me over once more. Her obsessive staring is causing me to freak out. I feel like running away or something, but for some reason, my feet stay glued to the dirt path of the park. Maybe it's because I'm so tired of running at this point.

"What's your name?" she asks calmly.

"E-Eric," I reply shakily.

"I'm Claire," she says, holding out her hand for me to shake.

I shake it quickly and look straight into her green eyes. It's kind of funny to think that if she was the person I was looking for, I would have to resort to her as Claire from now on instead of "blue haired girl." Sadly though, she's not, and I have to keep looking for the blue haired girl from now on.

Maybe I should come up with a fake name or something so I don't have to keep referring her as the "blue haired girl."

When we stop shaking hands, Claire stares at me some more before speaking.

"Listen," Claire says, "you need help or something? I'm sure I can help find who you're looking for."

I perk up instantly when she says that and find her smiling at me warmly. Did she really mean that?

"Really?" I ask, "you could help me?"

"Well yeah, I guess," she says, "who is it specifically that you're looking for?"

"A girl!" I say instantly, "she's my age, and has this blue hair, like you, but her hair is long and all of it is naturally blue instead of… dyed…"

Claire simply chuckles after I mention her hair, slowly shaking her head as she does so as well. Her laugh sounds oddly relaxing, putting me at ease after such an intense filled day.

And just like that, before I can even stop myself, I tell Claire everything I know about the blue haired girl. Of course, I don't know much, but I try my best to explain what I do know in great detail. Since I don't want her to be suspicious of me or anything, I try my best to answer her questions normally without sounding out of breath or desperate.

Claire simply listens to me and doesn't react much as I talk. She just watches, which creeps me out slightly, but I pretend not to notice. Besides, she's actually helping me, so why should I even judge her at all?

When I'm finished describing the blue-haired girl to her, I pause to catch my already shaky breath. I can't believe I actually talked that much, not to mention that I talked to someone else besides Trevor and his group. Has it really been so long since I've had any other conversation with another person?

Anyway, when I'm done talking the girl simply nods and loudly closes a notebook, which I guess she was writing in and just didn't realize…

"Hmmm,' the girl says, "Yeah, I think I know who you're talking about,"

For a moment, a bullet enters through my chest and explodes out of my heart when the girl says those words.

"R-really?!" I say, "who is it then?!"

"Hold on new kid," she says, "I said I _think_ I know who you're talking about. I don't know for certain if I'm right though…"

She's silent for a bit more, which starts to irritate me. She might know who this person is! Who this girl is in fact! And she stays silent for so long, to the point where I just want to shout at her to just tell me!

Finally, she sighs.

"Last year in ninth grade," the girl says, "I was working part-time in this hardware store for some cash. There was this woman there who worked with me, I think her name was Johanna or something. She was a really sweet lady, always saying hello and attempting to start a conversation with others. Really kind person overall."

She looks at me to make sure I'm listening, which of course I am with my full undivided attention.

"Anyway," she continues, "I think the woman was new to the city because she didn't really know how things worked In the store and kind of struggled as an employee. She had a daughter with her, just your age as well. Don't remember the girl's name, but she had this really big blue hair that just stood out, you know?"

So that's her… that's the girl I've been looking for. I still don't know her name, but I found someone who knows her mother. I actually was lucky enough to find someone who knew her! My heart feels like bursting with joy!

"So that's it!" I say happily, "oh my gosh! That's it! I just have to-"

"I didn't say I was finished Sherlock," the girl interrupts, "the women, Johanna, quit and got work somewhere else. And after a while, I left the place to focus on my studies. And before you ask, no, I don't personally know her. All I know is that the mother let her daughter enroll in the sparrow scouts and they moved from the wilderness."

My heart sinks into the lowest depths of my body the second the words sink in. She doesn't know her… but that doesn't mean she isn't here, in this city! I just have to find her. And also she mentioned a group, the "sparrow scouts". I just have to find out where they are as well!

"Again," the girl says, "If you're curious I don't know who the sparrow scouts are, or where that Johanna woman went. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you find Johanna, you find your girl. As simple as that."

Find Johanna, then I find the girl. Okay, that seems simple enough if I knew what Johanna looked like…

"Thank you so much, Claire," I say, "this really helped me…"

"No problem," she says, "it seems like you really need it anyway. Not for that to be offensive or anything."

So, now that I know the mother's name of the girl, I could just always…

"JOHANNA!" I scream into the air, causing the girl to step back in surprise.

My scream is so loud that the birds shoot right out of their trees, and it's so sudden that everyone around the park instantly turns my way. Their curious glances and annoyed looks instantly told me I made a dumb move. For a moment though, I don't care about hiding my identity, because I'm quickly shouting into the air again.

"JOHANNA WHERE ARE YOU!" I shout.

The girl shoves my hands down.

"What the hell are you doing?" she says harshly, "you're never going to find her like that."

I sigh and look toward her.

"Well, I have no other idea then how to find her," I reply, "besides if she looks normal like everyone else then I can't just go looking for her. It was already hard enough looking for a blue haired person in this city, now I'm supposed to a mother in a sea of other adults?"

Claire is silent and quickly looks around.

"Listen," she says quietly, "I don't know how you'll find her, but all I know is that you'll bring nothing but trouble shouting like that in public. Especially after what happened last week, no one is going to take any chances on someone new here. You'll make yourself look suspicious."

Wait, what? What did she just say?

"W-what happened last week?" I ask, "if you don't mind me asking."

The way the Claire looked at me when I said that actually sent fear running through my veins. She looked at me, completely dumbfounded at my question.

"Y-you really don't know what's been happening here?" she said.

"N-no," I answered, "I don't at all…"

Claire looks at me closely, staring deep into my soul until I back away a couple steps in fear. Her eyes are full of mistrust and complete suspicion, which is the last thing I want for anyone to feel toward me right now. The way she's looking at me reminds me of how all the adults reacted to me during the first day I was here to… like they couldn't trust me…

"Last week," she starts, "deep in the wilderness out there, people saw these lights in the sky. Like flashing lights deep in the clouds above the forest. People thought it was just lightning, but then the lights started to turn into this weird blue color, and this weird mist started to surround that specific area in the woods."

She looks away again to make sure the coast is clear, which gives me enough time to somehow process what she said. Flashes? Mist? Strange blue colors in the clouds? Not to mention it all happened deep out in the wilderness far from the city. This world gets stranger and stranger the longer I'm in it.

"Then, Wednesday comes along," she continues, "and the flashes get worse, they start to cause fires in the woods and strike down trees. Rocks start to float, and the blue glow in the sky gets brighter and even larger. All the water in the area is completely evaporated. At this point, the part of the woods affected remains uninhabited by animals and are only patrolled by woffs."

She pauses to make sure I'm keeping up, which is honestly hard for me to do with all the information she's dumping on me.

"People tried to go out there," she says, "but the heat in the woods near the blue glow and flashes was so extreme that no one could handle it. They say people came out with severe burns. News covered it and eventually, everyone was watching, waiting for what happened. The week goes by, and the flashes get brighter and bigger, and more severe."

This is where she stops for a moment and stares me. Right. In. The. Eye.

"Then Friday comes along," she says, "and during the day, the lights in the clouds just vanish, like a candle flicker, and this huge sound is produced. The news people that were by the area recorded what happened, and…"

She pauses and looks around quickly.

"Do you get what I'm talking about so far?" she asks.

I nod a bit, but then shake my head.

"I honestly don't, kind of…" I reply.

She grunts and quickly takes out her cell phone, which glows hauntingly as she pulls up a video.

"Just watch this…"

So I do. The video plays, and I see it.

Claire recorded a broadcast made by a news channel. The image is really blurry, so it's hard to make out, but I can see the blue glow she's talking about. Staring at me, like a monster hiding in the dark, are two huge clouds containing something I can't make out. The flashes are so bright in the sky they look like lighting. The wind swirls in what's left of the trees, and the area suddenly becomes white.

Then the phone produces the sound of the noise, as loud as an explosion as cracks riddle the sky and send something flying down. A black figure emerges from the clouds, and I squint my eyes to see what it is.

And then my eyes widen.

Something in the video, something small and dark pops out of the sky like a torpedo, and falls to the ground… until a group of woffs blocks the view of the camera.

Then the figure is gone…

 _Oh. My. God…_

"A couple of woffs flying around caught whatever it was," Claire says when the video ends, "People are freaking out about it after all the damage the woods went through, saying it's aliens o-or even the Great Raven about to punish us. It's making everyone go on edge."

She stares right in my eyes as she says all this.

I'm starting to think she actually knows who I am, which is terrifying me now that she's telling me all this. Right now, it feels as if my heart is popping out of my chest, because I know what she's talking about.

The girl stares at me and then let's go of my arm. I didn't even notice she was holding it until I felt her grip release me.

"Hey, you okay?" she says, "you look pale…"

Did I look pale? I wouldn't have been surprised, since everything she just said feels like a bomb had just exploded onto me.

"N-no," I say, "j-just nervous… t-that's all…"

"You should be," she says, "because whatever that thing is can't be good. Trolberg has already dealt with horrifying occurrences before. We don't need another year of strange things happening to us."

I nod in agreement, even though I don't register what she says anymore.

"I-is that why the adults…" I start to say.

"What?" she asks.

"T-the adults," I say, "t-they've been… shunning me all day when I-I tried to…"

I can't finish the sentence since now, all I can think about is every person I've come across since I got here. Beside the woffs and Trevor's friends, everyone else has been ignoring me since I got here… is that why? Because they're terrified of this thing that came from the sky attacking them? Because they're terrified of me? I know they don't know but… are they that scared that there shunning anyone new and crazy looking like me? They don't know though that it's me though… there actually right to shun me out…

I feel like falling down, but there's nothing to land onto except cold hard dirt, so I attempt to balance myself and try not to throw up inside. Claire must see how I'm reacting because I hear her sigh out.

"Look, you're new here, so I bet people have been… a bit ruder to you then usual," she says, "if you find yourself being shut out by people though, don't blame them. I mean, they're just freaked out about what happened. People act most afraid when they encounter something they don't know."

 _Afraid of something they don't know…_

Even I don't know myself very well, I mean what am I really? Why have I been feeling so warm? And why am I having these dreams at all?

Why is this…

I take a step back, and then another. I fell myself start to move until I look up at the girl. Staring at me with concern in her eyes.

"You okay?" she says.

"Y-yeah," I reply, "I'm fine…"

She says nothing after that, simply staring at my eyes as I slowly start to back away from her. I wonder what's going on through her mind. Does she think I'm that "thing" from the clouds? Maybe… I mean she's been staring at me for so long that she might've seen through me.

Would she report me to the police or something? I'm sure she's memorized everything from my eye color to the shoes I'm wearing. Maybe she would… maybe she…

"I hope you find the person you're looking for," the girl says, "and stay close to them. Anything can happen this week after that thing came out."

I nod again.

And then, I just walk away from her.

I walk out of the park and avoid the glances of everyone around me.

I walk away as the burning sensation of heat floods through me again.

Just a few moments ago, I thought that my identity didn't even matter anymore.

Now, all I could think about how I was going to hide it.


	9. To Trust Or Not To Trust?

**_?/?/? - ? - ?_**

 _People are crucial to survival._

 _You've lived alone for so long however that you've forgotten how important they are. No one around, all alone by yourself, with only your desires and rage to keep you company. Is this why you turned such a dark path? Maybe if there was someone there with you they could've helped you, a voice of reason if you might call it._

 _But no one was there in those days were wood was made to build your houses. No one was there when screaming took over and they were lying on the floor. No one was there for you when they cast you out to die._

 _Rage has consumed you, and fear had consumed them. The god is coming, the bell has taken you over._

 _And now the search had begun._

* * *

 **Trevor**

 _What just happened?_

Trevor repeated that thought over and over again after Eric left, despite no one being able to respond to him.

He was confused for a lot of reasons. One, Eric had just passed out on the floor. And two, after Eric had passed out he suddenly rushed out of the park like nothing ever happened. It was completely odd how it transpired, and Trevor could tell that both of his two friends felt the same way.

At first, Trevor didn't know what to think after what happened, since he had never really seen anything like it before. No one he knew ever passed out in front of him like that and then walked away like nothing happened. It was just to out of the ordinary to make any sense. It freaked Trevor out just to think about it happening to anyone else.

And yet look what just happened.

Trevor and his friends were very silent after Eric left them in the park, contemplating what just happened in their minds.

After a bit of time, however, Mike finally asked the question on everyone's minds.

"W-what just happened?" Mike asked.

While none of the kids really had an answer, B. attempted to explain anyway.

"Well right there was a classic case of ditching syndrome Mike," B. explained, "a syndrome that causes kids to run away from people with no explanation."

Trevor instantly felt like rolling his eyes at B.'s comment, but forced himself to not respond.

"Do you really think he did all that to ditch us?" Mike said, "why would he fake all that though?"

Now Trevor really did roll his eyes. Even though the idea wasn't that farfetched, he could still tell that Eric wasn't faking. He knew from experience what it was like to pass out, and after Eric fell to the ground, he could tell instantly that he had legitimately lost consciousness. And after Eric finally woke himself up, he looked just as shocked as the rest of the group.

"There's no way he was faking all that," Trevor said, "I mean his nose was bleeding guys. How do you fake something like that?"

Mike and B. didn't respond to his answer, despite both of them looking very conflicted with Trevor's reply.

"Where do you think he's going?" Mike suddenly asked.

"He said something I think," B. replied, "but I couldn't hear what he said. He was whispering it."

Trevor instantly knew what B. was talking about, and unlike B. he actually heard what Eric had said.

"He mumbled about a "her" when he woke up," Trevor said, "I think he was talking about a girl."

Before Trevor could add anything more, B. instantly perked up.

"I saw a girl walking down the street before Eric left," B. exclaimed, "she had blue hair, and it was kind of curly. Maybe he was talking about that girl in particular."

Trevor's eyes widened when hearing that, since he only knew one blue haired girl in this city.

"I think he mistook the girl for Hilda," Trevor said.

Now it was B. and Mike's turn to be surprised.

"Really? What makes you say that?" B. asked.

"I don't know," Trevor replied, "I just think he was looking for her."

"There isn't any evidence though," B. countered, "how could you be so sure he went looking for her?"

Even though Trevor didn't have much proof, he was positive that Eric was searching for her. While Hilda wasn't very popular at his school, he knew a lot of people often tried to go to her if they had any "weird" problems.

She was experienced with the supernatural after all, so maybe Eric was trying to ask her something.

"I think he was looking for her," Mike said, "he talks about her a lot in this book."

Trevor and B. quickly turned around after hearing Mike's comment, finding him standing at the bench holding a book. Only Trevor instantly could tell that it wasn't just any book. It was Eric's drawing journal.

The very same journal that had all of Eric's entries in it.

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

 _This can't be happening..._

The same thought repeated over and over again in my head as I walked through the busy streets of Trolberg, just trying to contemplate everything I just witnessed.

When Claire showed me that video I swear my heart stopped. Even though it was really blurry, I could still see everything on that tiny digital screen. Just seeing the portal, and the flashes and the destruction in the woods just made something snap inside me. Something I don't think I've ever felt before. For the first time, I think I'm actually understanding how messed up this situation is for me. With everything that's happened to me like the memory loss, and visions, and this whole portal thing. I think I finally get how bad all this is.

 _This can't be happening…_

I can't believe that was what happened before I came, that I had caused that! That was my arrival in this world and I never even knew it! And that arrival was so dangerous that now half of Trolberg is looking for me. Not only am I having these strange visions, but now apparently everyone is out on the look for me after that whole portal fiasco! Is everyone in the city paranoid like me? Is everyone trying to find me? They obviously don't know it was me who came out of that portal or whatever, but they must at least be suspicious.

And then to top it off there's still the whole vision thing with the blue-haired girl and that horrifying dream of the city burning around me. I don't even think I can focus on a singular goal knowing that' might happen. If only I could warn someone or tell someone who I am without causing mass panic! But telling the police in this world is out of the question if they find out where I came from, and I doubt any adult would want to approach me anyway.

Why is this even happening to someone like me? Sure, I might not be the purest child on Earth, but what did I ever do to deserve this treatment? Did someone do this to me? Or did something else? I don't even want to think if it was anything supernatural that did this to me…

 _This can't be happening…_

This is just incredible. That carefree and positive aura that I had around Trevor's group has suddenly vanished quicker than melting snow. Before, I was having a great time in this city hanging out with kids my age, but now I must've set some kind of world record for how quickly I'm panicking. I don't think I can really "hang" out with anyone ever again after this…

No one even thinks to look at me as I walk, but it still feels as if someone's eyes are burning into the back of my skull. Ever since I left that park after shouting Johanna's name, I feel like someone's following me. Every time I turn around though it's just some random raven and a couple of people. Does anyone actually suspect me? Is anyone onto me? I know logically that no one would have a reason to suspect me, but I still can't help myself and think about it. I wish I could stop thinking about it, but I can't.

I sigh in frustration and quickly turn the corner to a huge plaza type area, where I see a ton of people walking around.

My body freezes up instantly seeing such a huge crowd of people, which shouldn't be so surprising to me since this place is obviously some sort of hangout area. Still, though, that isn't good at all if I want to keep a low profile and stay on the move…

No one around me looks like they're on the look for someone, but I still can't help worrying myself about it. There must be a least one person suspicious of me. Just one person who might be following me right now. I mean, I swear it just feels like something's watching me all the time. My heart is always telling me that, and there's no reason to not believe in it considering the situation.

I slowly breathe in and head into the crowd, making sure to keep my hood up as I do. Bits and pieces of chatter invade my ears as I walk by everyone, making my head lower as I try to make my way through the square. Not a lot of the conversation means anything, but some of the things people say send chills right down my spine.

"Did you guys see the stuff that happened in the forest?" says one guy, "what do you think it was?"

"I think it's an alien," a woman replies, "or maybe a monster coming to kill us all."

"Whatever that thing was destroyed part of the forest!" a man chimes in.

It makes me want to throw up inside over and over again. Everyone must've seen or heard about what happened in the woods by now. Especially since it happened a few days before I got here, people would probably be freaking out.

All of this chatter and speculation are stressing me out. Instead of listening in on other people's conversations, I should just be distracting myself to keep my mind off all this anxiety. What is there to look at? There's mostly just pretty looking scenery, which I guess is good enough. The city is always pretty looking though so I don't really pay attention to it. There isn't much anyway except a few shops and some trees planted strategically in neat formations here and there. The only real thing in this area that captures my attention is the giant statue that looms over everything.

I don't know who the statue is representing since I don't know anything about anything in this city, but he seems to be pretty important since a lot of people have crowded around him. The statue itself is pretty big since its presence alone cast a large shadow over the square. He wields a sharp spear that glows softly in the sun and wears a nice-looking cape behind him that kind of looks comfortable to wear.

If only Trevor and his friends were here with me. They probably knew everything about this guy and what he did. Or maybe they had no idea about who he was and would probably just make some silly joke about his tiny helmet that the guy wears. If only there were here with me. Now I'm all alone to figure things out by myself.

Since it's a statue, there were colorful birds of all shapes and sizes quietly rested on him. Besides the pigeons though, I didn't know the species of any of the other birds. I mean, I only knew a few like the pigeons as I just said, and at the top of the statue there rested a big black raven. But other than that, my mind drew a blank about everything else.

I guess it didn't matter though since most of the birds flew away when a little helicopter drone started to fly over the statues head. Someone must've been-

" _You need to get out of here."_

My head instantly twirls around to find no one behind me at all, which causes me a great deal of unease and fear. What the heck was that? A vision? Or just a voice in my head? Maybe both because now my head hurts for some odd reason. It sounded like someone talking to me though, what could that have been-

"Y _ou have to run Eric."_

That voice? What is happening?

Something thick and warm starts to crawl on my nose, and I instantly start to panic. I don't even have to check to know that my nose is bleeding again. This has happened so many times now that I know what it means. Another vision is coming, in front of a huge crowd of people no less! I have to get out…

" _ **Run."**_

I snap back into reality when an instant painful roar starts to crawl deep within my skull. Intense pressure suddenly appears, squeezing my brain and crushing all organic material until there is only dust. Fear coursed through my body and before I can even shout something I'm already booking it out of the square. A stupid decision on my end, but at this point, I had to get out of there.

The world starts to spin, shapes _churning_ up and down crashing into each other like rocks. Sweat pours down my face as I stumble around and heat enters my body. The smell of smoke and fire crawls into my throat. There's _way_ to much ash around me. It feels like there's boiling heat around me, chocking my insides until I attempt to breathe.

I start to take off and run across the street. No one stops me, but I can tell everyone is watching me. The birds must even be watching because a dozen black streaks of something start to fly above me. I don't stop for anyone though. I just run as fast as I can as blood pours out of my nose. I'm just thinking to myself how screwed I am. Everything feels like it's burning, my legs burn as they fly by everything. I don't stop, I swear I don't stop for a second.

My feet start to burn in pain, it hurts just to keep running. I have to stop now, but there's nowhere to go. Out of desperation, I sharply turn into a nearby alley and hide near some dumpsters, still trying to hide the strange glow in my hands. My breathing is rapid and quick, which makes me choke on my own breath. Once I think the coughing and chokes have stopped though, I peer over the dumpster hesitantly and check the street to make sure no one followed me.

Besides a few birds and a couple of civilians walking around out there, no one really seems to be out there. And none of them look like they're looking for me. I wait a couple more minutes until I'm absolutely sure no one has followed me, which no one does since they don't have much of a reason to come into this alleyway.

I wish I didn't have to hide every time something strange happened to me, but people will be looking out for any odd activity that might relate to that portal incident. My only hope now is that blue haired girl, and I can only pray that I can find her before someone else finds me. In the meantime, I just have to hide. I have to hide and just try and find a way to get out of all of this somehow-

"Excuse me, child."

I bolt up instantly from my spot when I hear the voice again. Only this time, it's not coming from my head, it's coming from the real world. And I can see from the corner of my eyes that it's coming from a dark figure. It's hard to tell what they look like, but I can tell that it's roughly a woman. Besides that though, I know nothing else.

My legs start to move frantically to try and get away, but the woman must sense my attempt to escape because she grabs my arm to stop me.

"Calm down will you!" the woman yells, "I've come to help you."

Her answer doesn't reassure me in the slightest and I still try and run.

"W-who are you?!" I shout, "w-what do you want from me!"

"Who I am isn't important," she answers calmly, "all you need to know is that I'm here to help."

Even though I don't know who this woman is, I hope what she says is true. Fear is strongly running through me right now, but I'm not freaking out anymore. Which is good because now this women's grip loosens up on my arm just a bit.

"I'm not here to hurt you," she quickly adds, "let's just talk, okay?"

Once she says that I feel her grip vanish from my arm. My first instinct is to run away, but somehow I find the strength to stay where I am. This woman knows my identity, but she doesn't seem like she wants to hurt me. I hope she doesn't at least…

I turn around to face the women and to my surprise I find an older lady standing there. Her eyes suggest that she's tired, and even in the dark alley I can see wrinkles on her face. Despite her age though she is quite thin and tall, and wears a huge black jacket with some dark pants. The only other thing that stands out about the women is her pristine white hair with a thin grey streak going through it.

She does a quick one-take around the alley before speaking.

"Okay, listen here," she says, "we don't have much time, so I'm just going to cut to the chase here. I know who you are."

The fact that this random woman knows anything about my existence terrifies me, but I urge myself to not run away.

"H-how do you-" I try to say.

"How do I know about you?" she finishes, "well, I saw what happened to you with the portal of course. I mean, everyone saw what happened, but my drones actually captured the event so you get the idea. Either way, I've been watching you ever since you landed here, and I have to say I've been quite impressed by you Eric."

There's so much to process from that one explanation, but my mind focuses mostly on the drones since I think I remember seeing a couple of drones here. A few times as I hung with Trevor and his friends I thought I heard a buzzing noise behind us. And even during my search for help when I got here I saw one hovering over a park nearby.

So this whole time, this lady was watching me.

"You've been watching me?" I say, backing away slightly from her.

"Yes! Yes I have," she answers boldly, "I've been observing your activities around the city with my drones. I've seen what you've been through and I know you've been steered in the wrong direction. You have no one to turn to. You're all alone, it's just you against the world."

The lady stays silent for a moment as her eyes trail off somewhere. I recognize that look she has. It's the same look that Trevor had whenever he was thinking about his past. Only this woman has more anger in her eyes then Trevor. She seems like she's mad at something, and somehow that makes me feel bad for her.

"But don't worry!" she shouts quickly, "I'm not here to harm you. I've come to help actually. You see, I know what you've been through, and I want to help you."

What she says seems genuine, but I'm still a little nervous around this lady. She doesn't seem like she's that okay or stable in the head.

"You really want to help me?" I ask, "even though you know who I am?"

"Of course!" she exclaims, "of course I do! Despite the circumstances you're in, you're still a child."

Her eyes gleam and shine now in the sun's light, giving her a certain look of glimmer to her eyes.

"W-why would you want to help me?" I say.

The lady takes a moment to answer.

"B-because I understand what you're going through," she states, "just like me at one point in my life, you've lost… so much. B-but your situation is much bigger than mine. You have something inside you that's bigger than anything this city has ever seen. And whatever that something is, I want to help you achieve it."

Something inside me? Considering all I've been through what she says doesn't sound completely nuts. Even though she kind of makes sense though, she still doesn't look like someone I could just trust.

"Listen, I don't know you," I say, "I barely know anyone in this city. It's just that I-"

"I know it's hard to trust someone you just met," she interrupts, "but I know I can help you. I swear I can help you remember everything. About your past, your home, your family."

I stop short when she says that.

"You can do that?" I ask.

"Yes! Yes of course!" she starts to say, "I can get your memories back! I can return you to your family!"

She gets on her knees now and holds my hands, preventing me from running away. At this point, with anyone else, I would've just kicked them in the face and try to escape, but now I have to hear the rest of what this woman says now that she brought up my family.

"I have a machine back at my lab," she says, "well, not really _my_ lab, but the machine is still there. I've been working on it for years, many years in fact, and I know it can help you get your memories back. It would just need a few more test, and then it can help you go home. All you'd have to do is follow me there! No tricks, no traps at all. I promise it will work."

At this point, I don't register the rest of what she's saying. Everything just kind of blurred together when she started talking about my family. I can go home? I can see my family again? What she says sounds crazy, but maybe she's telling the truth…

"Are you sure it would work?" I say.

"I'm positive," she answers, not even hesitating.

Okay, even though she's offering me help, there are like a thousand reasons why I shouldn't go with her. One, this woman looks and sounds crazy. Two, she's been stalking me everywhere with drones I've never noticed of. And three, she seems way too interested in me in particular. There should be no reason I should go with this woman.

But then again, everything I just listed off also applies to me with that blue haired girl. Aren't I just like this woman, desperate for help and someone to turn to?

Oh god, I'm going to probably regret this later down the line, but what choice do I have? I have no idea where the blue haired girl is, and I can't go back to Trevor to try and ask him for help. I'm desperate now just like this woman, and she is the only adult that has offered to help me so far in this city.

I breathe in deeply.

"How can I trust you?" I ask, "how can I trust you if you can't even tell me your own name?"

She's quiet for a few more moments.

"Well if you're _that_ curious, then I'll tell you," she says, "it's Victoria Van Gale. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Victoria Van Gale? Why does that name ring a bell? Why does every name in this city somehow trigger some memory of mine but I can't figure it out?

I stare at her, and she finally gets off her knees and stands up. She's taller than me, but she's also kind of old. I could outrun her, I could defend myself against her, but something's holding me back from doing any of those things. It's that machine she talked up before, the one that could maybe bring me back. Maybe she isn't lying about that…

"Listen," Victoria says, "I've been watching you, and I know you have no reason to trust me. But I promise you there are no tricks attached to this. There's nothing for me to gain here. Just let me help you, just out of the kindness of my heart and the value of science."

Victoria stares right at me, waiting for an answer.

The inside of my body tells me to completely distrust her, but somehow I can't run away. I just don't think I could this time knowing there just might be a solution. I did it last time with that woman in the square, and now I think I'm doing it again. I need to just stop all this arguing with myself and actually try to get help from someone. And this woman, she's the only one so far who has offered any.

Oh goodness me, I'm going to regret this, aren't I?

"O-okay…" I say, "b-but you better not try anything okay? Trust me, I'll know if you are…"

Victoria doesn't answer right away, but I can see a certain look of happiness in her eyes. Something that I don't think this woman has felt in a long time.

"I promise nothing will happen to you," Victoria replies, "you have my word."


	10. Victoria Van Gale

**_?/?/? - ? - ?_**

 _Let me paint you a picture._

 _You wake up, not sure of what the day will bring. It's warm outside, and a nice gentle breeze takes over your senses. Steaming food is on the table, your family is happy and together, nothing can go wrong. Nothing appears wrong at all. You're happy, and so is your family._

 _But then you wake up the next day. In the woods, alone, with no one. It's cold now, and a fierce wind tears through your clothing. Tears in your eyes appear as you realize where you are. You've lost everything. Your home, your food, your family. They are all gone. You are alone, with no one. They destroyed it._

 _They took them from you._

 _So what do you do now? There are two options. One is to let it go, which is what any sensible person would do. Move on, and try to restart what little life you have left. Live on in their memory, and hope that one day the trauma will pass._

 _Or…_

 _You could feed into your rage and plan to destroy everyone involved in your misery. You prepare, for years, and years, and years until you're completely confident. You can't wait in fact to journey into the city that did this to you and make them suffer. You cannot wait._

 _Of course, others might think differently. The gods up there watching and judging your choices might agree with you. Some might disagree as well. I for one, definitely, positively, disagree with everything you're about to do soon._

 _And I hope you can find closure before you do something you regret._

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

"This is it!" Victoria suddenly chirps, "home sweet home!"

Victoria stops in her tracks, forcing me to do the same and stare at what she's pointing to. It's hard to see what it is at first since my vision is kind of blurry now, but soon the strange color passes by and I notice the building she's presenting.

And the building itself looks abandoned.

The windows are cracked and boarded up, shingles on the roof are falling apart, and cobwebs blow softly on the front wooden door. Each window that looks into the building is pitch black, and my nose quickly detects a really bad smell that seems to spring off the walls.

It's hard to believe a person would ever choose to live here, especially a brilliant scientist like Victoria.

"Come on," she says, "the entrance is right this way."

I hesitantly follow Victoria through the dark alley where the only light source comes from the sun peeking through the gaps of the buildings. It's a quick walk before we come upon a dumpster that Victoria pulls under a broken window, which can't be reached unless you're somehow really tall. Sadly, I'm not that tall at all.

"Since you're… not of average height," Victoria says, "we'll just use the dumpster to make our way in."

"Is it safe?" I ask, looking at the garbage spilling out of the cracks.

"Of course it is," she replies, "just mind your step."

Victoria quickly climbs on top of the dumpster and jumps to the window. With her quick hands and unusually high speed, she makes it inside the building in about ten seconds. When it's my turn, I breathe in sharply and just try and remember my experience climbing the wall with Trevor and his friends. I launch myself and land on top of the dumpster before flinging myself to the window.

I don't have too much trouble climbing up, and I only get distracted for a brief second from a strange black object entering my view. It passes by quickly though, and I make it to the window as carefully as I can. I don't even need Victoria's help to pull me up into the building, as I swiftly enter in from the window and land onto the floor.

The moment I enter, my senses instantly start to trigger. It's that awful smell that I remember faintly noticing when I was outside, only now it's much stronger and appears to be somewhere nearby. I wish I could somehow describe it, but I can't find the words because it's so revolting. Whatever it is, smells like death itself, and claws its way into my nose.

Since I'm polite, I try not to gag in front of Victoria who doesn't seem to notice the smell, but she sees my nose wrinkling in disgust and smiles at me.

"You get used to it," she says to me, "once you get past the crumbling mold and vomit, it's not a bad place to stay in."

Even though I'm technically homeless, I wouldn't consider staying in this place at all if I was trying to hide somewhere. How do you sleep here with all this rubble and these bugs crawling about? You just don't, which makes me even more concerned about this "machine" Victoria is talking about.

By leaning on a destroyed desk, I help myself up and take a look at what this place is like.

The halls of this decrepit building are just as messy as the outside of this place. The floor is littered with waste and garbage, with bits of wooden furniture sticking out from the pile. Dust slowly dances everywhere, and are only seen through the little bit of sunlight that enters through the windows. Decaying curtains fly softly in an unseen breeze, and cold chilly air takes its place inside the room.

I wonder what happened to this place and the people that inhabited it before it was shut down.

A bolt of light shoots out of the darkness, and I almost gasp in shock until I see the Victoria wielding a small flashlight.

"This way now," she says, "we aren't that far."

I follow her without question and stay as close as I can to her since I don't want to be left in this place alone. It's way too dark and creepy in here to try to wander about, especially since most of the floorboards are broken. It might be better to try and remember all possible escape routes in case this place collapses or something.

Victoria leads me through the broken hallway that groans with ruins. Pictures and furniture are spread about like there was an earthquake present before everyone left. Some of the pictures have a lot of men building the place, while others have families lined up in front of the stairs. Some of them are just burned up in general.

I walk quickly next to Victoria who leads me up to the stairs.

"I do apologize for the mess," Victoria says, "I wasn't expecting to find you so soon so I had little time to clean up."

Clearly, she didn't, there's still mountains upon mountains of trash everywhere.

"How do you live in these conditions?" I ask.

"I manage it day by day," she replies, "it's a long process that I have to get used to. You should consider yourself lucky."

"Lucky enough to sleep outside?"

"Exactly," she says cheerfully.

On the outside I don't react, but on the inside, I silently mumble to myself to her reply.

As we continue up the stairs, more signs of destruction appear in our path. Mostly broken walls and dusty floorboards litter the way, but sometimes we come across other things like forgotten toys or snow globes.

Even though I probably shouldn't care, I'm becoming a tiny bit concerned that Victoria actually lives here.

"Do you really live here?" I ask wearily, "with all of this everywhere?"

Victoria sighs to my question as she jams open a rotting door.

"Unfortunately yes," she replies, "I would've had a nice laboratory we could've used for this operation, but those kids and that bird ruined it. So it's pretty much pointless to argue about the circumstances now.."

Wait, what? Kids and birds? Ruining a laboratory? Where have I heard something like that before?

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

Victoria takes a moment to answer the question.

"Let's just say," Victoria starts, "that a couple of hooligans didn't understand the value of scientific sacrifice."

From what she's telling me in her cryptic language, some kids and a bird destroyed some of her research maybe? Maybe they also destroyed her laboratory as well, which doesn't make any sense. Who would do that? And how could they do that if they were children like me? Then there's that bird she talked about. The only bird that instantly comes to mind is the Great Raven since he's so famous in this city.

"I'm guessing there's more to that story that you're not telling me," I say.

"You are correct," she tells me wearily.

From the tone of her voice, and the angry look in her eyes, I can tell that she doesn't want to share anything about her past, so I stop drop the rest of the conversation.

We continue up to the fourth floor where we make it to another hallway. This one doesn't have that much junk thrown around the floor, and unlike the others actually looks a bit cleaner. I'm guessing this means she lives upon this floor, since it actually looks okay.

We walk down the empty hall until we come across a door, where Victoria then stops and hands me the flashlight.

"Give me just a second," she tells me as she attempts to open the door.

It takes a few seconds, but she eventually manages to prop open the door wide enough for us to see inside. Blinding light escapes from the room, and warm air conditioning surrounds my skin. My ears detect blinking machines and clicking components, and I can smell a sweet scent of roses. Before the room even opens up I can tell that I'm definitely not going to be able to touch anything,

"What's in there?" I ask.

"Your future," she replies.

I don't know how to interpret those words, but I don't get the chance since Victoria opens the door and already walks into the room.

I follow Victoria and my heart skips a beat. Around me are machines. Tons and tons of machines. So many in fact that I don't even have names for everyone I come across. Materials and metal litter the floor, with tools strewn all over the place. Tables hold radios, maps, a pile of loosely made notes. The lights are dim, but they're somehow still functioning well enough to give light to the room.

This place is huge and filled with different types of science toys. I even think I spot what appears to be her surveillance drones in the corner of the room. I was so worried coming here thinking Victoria was lying about her identity, but seeing all these working machines and scattered notes filled with science stuff confirms to me that she might have some knowledge about my situation.

"This is amazing!" I say, running over to pile of tech I have no name for.

"I'm glad you think so," she said, "it took a while to put it all together."

It must've taken years honestly with the amount of stuff in here.

"How did you build all this?" I ask.

"Well I scavenged any material I could get from my old laboratory," Victoria explains, "and then attempted to rebuild most of my old machines. It was semi-successful, but I still had to go out and get most of the other parts from junkyards and whatnot…"

She pauses a bit after she says that.

"But that's all in the past now," she says, "what matters now is that you're _finally_ here and we can get started on getting you home."

Victoria whisks away to the corner of the room to pull out a rack of coats. More specifically lab coats that she quickly throws on. They look so clean and bright that it makes me remember about my dirty jacket that I still need to change out of. I've been wearing it for so long that it feels bone dry, just like my throat…

"Hey Victoria?" I say, "before we do get started, is there like… a glass of water I can drink or something?"

The moment I say that she stops dead in her tracks.

"Oh, well… sure I guess," she replies, "it's best not to keep the guest uncomfortable during their stay! What would you like? How about some coffee? That would be nice right?"

She speaks so fast that I almost miss a few words she says in her sentence.

"Uh, sure," I say, "I've never had it before though."

I don't think Victoria hears me say that last part, as she's already rushing over to her makeshift kitchen and brewing some up for us.

While Victoria goes and makes the drinks, I decide to look around the rest of the lab. Most of the machines I see are scattered throughout the lab recording data, while others are stuck to the floor with wires powering up the lights in the building. There are other things in the place as well besides all the gizmos, like Victoria's little kitchen in the corner where she makes the coffee, and her bedroom near the back which is just made up of a bed and an old divider.

There's still so much to look at in this place, but my eyes are eventually drawn toward the corner of the room, where there appears to be a recording station of some kind. It's lit up pleasantly with some lights around the entrance, and inside are a few devices that I don't know the names of yet. The only recognizable feature the place has is a hanging microphone, and the space is littered with scribbled notes of clouds and weather activity.

Besides those few things, everything else I see looks just like gibberish to me.

"Hey Victoria," I say, "what is this stuff over here?"

I expect Victoria to be busy still brewing the coffee in the kitchen, but she surprisingly seems to teleport by my side before I can even attempt to touch anything.

"What are you talking about child?" she asks suspiciously, "what did you see?"

Her steel-grey eyes pierce deeply into my skin when she says that, causing me to shudder just a bit in my jacket.

"Oh, well, It's just… I saw this room," I explain, pointing behind the curtain, "and I'm kind of confused for what it's for. Like with the microphone, and the wires, and-"

Before I can finish, Victoria's eyes light up in front of me.

"Oh, you must be talking about my studio room then!" she says merrily, "No cause for alarm there! It's just where I make my broadcast to the rest of the city. Reports on a bunch of random things, not as important now."

A studio room? Well, I guess that explains the microphone and the notes. I wonder what some of the machines do though…

"Do you make broadcast often?" I ask.

"No, not as much today," Victoria says, "lots of things to do and not enough time to do them so I mostly just focus on that stuff."

Now that she mentions it, she does seem a bit overworked. I mean, as overworked as you can get trying to do science in an abandoned building. I wonder how many nights she stayed up before she found me. There's clear evidence of that fact strewn across the room.

"U-um, so what do you broadcast when you decide to broadcast?" I say.

"Well I used to report the weather," she says, "but that was in the past. Now I post daily warnings about the great unknown."

Victoria must see the confusion marked on my face because she's quick to elaborate further.

"The great unknown, of course, being just minor storms," she says "we had a lot of them recently before you came along. And ever since your appearance they've since stopped and have been replaced with bitter cold air."

There's an odd lingering silence present in the room after she says that, which makes me squirm around a bit since I mostly know Victoria for talking things up.

"T-that's still just the weather Victoria," I point out.

"Oh, I know that," she says, "but there's still key importance to it. I mean, the vanishing storms? The rain? I've barely even seen or found any weather spirit activity nearby anymore since that portal came along. It's like your appearance here has just swallowed it all up into nothing!"

"I'm guessing I should be concerned about that?" I say.

"Oh heavens no dear," Victoria reassures, "I'm sure the weather sprites have just floated off to another region to argue. They love to do that you see."

So now I guess I have weather spirits to add to the list of strange things I don't know about. I mean I already had to figure out woffs, salt lions, and the Great Raven. But now I had to learn about weather spirits as well.

I guess there is still a lot more to learn about this world then I thought.

* * *

After touring that studio room, I just sat around the room blankly staring at the cup of coffee Victoria provided me. I've barely taken a sip of it yet, so the heat from the cup warms onto my fingers. I should probably take a tiny sip, but it's already comforting enough to just hold onto the coffee instead of actually drinking it. My body for whatever reason just finds pleasure from the heat.

While I stand near the kitchen table and stare at my coffee like a dork, Victoria instantly rushes back to work. She heads towards the back-room area to grab some parts and equipment, quickly putting them aside in a pile and engineering it all together. Normally I would ask if she needed any help, but it's clear Victoria knows what she's doing despite being the age she is. In fact, It's quite magical to watch her work alone. She's quick and efficient with her hands, flying all over the place putting things together while sometimes taking sips of her coffee.

As she works around the lab, my eyes dart around the room to find anything interesting to look at once more, which causes me to discover a huge screen that collects my attention quite easily.

The screen shows a huge jagged ball of something heading toward the city of Trolberg, and it's colored in bright red. I don't know what it is exactly, but It's marked with an exclamation point so I'm guessing that means it's pretty freaking important. It might be one of those fancy weather radar things that shows the path of rain and wind, so the color red I see might represent an incoming storm.

Even though Victoria said she doesn't have time for meteorology, she sure seems obsessed with whatever this red blob is.

"Victoria?" I say, "what is that?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," she says, "besides, that won't be any of your concern once we're done with getting you home.

I almost forgot about that. With so many other inventions and gizmos lying around here, I almost lost track of the task I was doing.

"O-oh. Right of course," I say, going near Victoria, "so where is this elusive machine you've been talking up?"

Victoria smiles gleefully and pulls down a switch right next to her, revealing light in the dark corner of the room where I finally see what I'm stepping into.

The machine I see is… not really a machine at all now that I look at it. It's more like a pod, which is quite large itself. It has a circular platform where I'm supposed to stand, and surrounding it is a giant glass protector to keep things concealed in there. Hanging around it are wires and gizmos of all kinds which are probably there so Victoria can control everything properly.

The only thing that looks somewhat dangerous and mildly concerning is the big metal spike on the top of the pod that points downward on the inside. To put it simply on how it looks though, It kind of looks like one of those syringes the doctor would use for surgery, only there is no chair to sit in while he's using it on you.

"H-how does it work?" I ask.

Victoria's eyes light up when I say that, and suddenly I realize I'm going to be standing here for a long haunting lecture.

"I'm so glad you asked!" she chirps, "you see, I've designed the machine so it runs within in a three-step process which was really tricky to do at first. In order for it to work it needs a lot of electrical energy, which I've created simply with the use of these generators I've installed. Once the electrical energy is insulated into the machine, it powers everything up and you'll start feeling the pressure of-"

I mostly tune out what she says after she starts talking about force and pressure. She runs over the whole process of the machine excitedly to me, but I don't really get it even after she tells me a second time.

It's really hard to describe what the detailed plan is exactly since Victoria uses big words like "immaculate" and "atmospheric turbulence", but basically what I piece together is that this machine is going to put through something really intense to get my memories back.

"So that's the base theory that I'm currently working off of," she says, "I hope however with more testing that the evidence can become more concrete and we can finally start getting some progress."

"That sounds cool," I say, "is it going to hurt though?"

"Oh it won't hurt," she says, "as long as you stand perfectly still you should come out unscathed."

"That doesn't really aspire confidence…" I reply.

I don't think Victoria hears my last comment since she instantly starts to grab and organize some things around one of the tables.

"Okay," she says, "before we start, I just have to make some last-second preparations, and you should be seeing your family in no time."

 _My family._

it's been so long since I could use that word and not feel pain in my heart. Despite my desperation to get home, I honestly haven't been thinking about them as I should've. Maybe it was because I was losing hope the longer I stayed here. But now I might actually be able to see them again if this all works out. I might just be able to remember their names and their faces. Maybe I can actually _hear_ their names and _see_ their faces instead of imagining them.

Even if this doesn't work out for me, maybe I could still get a glimpse of what they were like, just a tiny glimpse

Until then, I just have to wait here. Just wait and try to keep myself distracted. There's a lot to distract me in this room, but I don't think I'm allowed to touch anything. So all there really is to keep myself occupied is this bland tasting coffee and watching very quick flashes of something fly past the window.

There are photos of Victoria I can look at, but none of them seem to look like her. It's obviously her, but she's different in them. Instead of the pristine white hair she has now, it's grey and has a white streak going through it in the photos. In all of them, she looks like she's actually happy, giving tours to kids and adults around her old weather station.

The photos lead me to stare at the corner of the room, where I notice her bed is placed. It looks quite comfortable and all, but it's not the bed I'm staring at because soon I see… _it_.

Right beside her bed is a clothing rack, and it's filled with shirts and jackets and pants. Some of it is obviously for women, but they're also a ton of small boys clothes that could fit me. I look down at my own clothes and find a wrinkled jacket and bloody shirt staring back at me.

"Victoria," I say, "d-do you think I can try on some of the clothes you have? L-like the boy ones obviously because… you know."

Victoria instantly looks at me with a confused look.

"Why?" Victoria simply asks.

"Why?" I say, "well because, it's just that I've been wearing the same stinking shirt and pants for two days in the outdoors. Just think about all the dirty chemicals I might have on me that can interrupt the… experiment."

Victoria stops rummaging through the box and pulls out some wires. She looks at me, and then at my dirty disgusting clothes.

"Fine," she says, "use that closet though, in the back, there should be something for you I think."

"Got it," I chirp, and run over to the closet.

 _Victory for Eric!_

I make it to the closet and open it, where I promptly almost faint in happiness seeing the millions upon billions of different clothing for me to wear. There are jackets, shirts, tank tops, jeans, pants, shorts, shoes! In the excitement, I almost start picking out random pieces of clothing, but then I stop and force myself to sort the clothing into piles while Victoria works on the machine. I make a girl and boy pile, and I sort out the clean boy clothes away from the dirty ones and see what I got.

When I'm done sorting everything, I'm disappointed to find that there aren't as many clothes for me as I thought. Most of the stuff was for girls, and the rest is kind of dirty. There is still a nice range of choices though, and I just want to try them all. There are shorts and shoes, tank tops and sweatshirts, necklaces and earrings which I'm not interested in. So much stuff for me to try on and yet I can't decide!

After some careful decision making, I decided to wear some blue jeans and a dark red shirt in place of my old clothes. They smell great and look amazing, and as a bonus, they don't have blood on them which is fantastic! There are no jackets in the pile for me to take though, so I guess I'm keeping my old wrinkly one. Still, it's better to have new fresh clothes then awful smelling old ones.

I'm about to go back to Victoria when something glimmering in the back of the closet catches my eye. There are a bunch of clothes and boxes in front of it, so I probably wouldn't have noticed it if the light wasn't on and reflecting from it. It looks like a shiny lamp or something, but I can't really tell. If I get closer I might be able to see…

I step forward and grab hold of the strange object.

And then my heart drops.

Hidden behind all those clothes and boxes lies a silver shotgun. It glistens in the light, with its barrel pointing straight into the sky. The shotgun is super huge, way bigger than me in fact, and has seven bullets strapped on top of it for quick reload. The safety is off, so if I pulled the trigger right now, a shotgun bullet could go piercing right through my body.

Why would Victoria have something like this? Maybe just for show? But then why would she have the bullets there? Why does it look like it's been used? I can smell the smoke and gunpowder already. Maybe she uses it to defend herself? But… Trolberg doesn't seem like that type of place where robberies happen often. And even if they did, Victoria would have no reason to use it unless they someone attacked her...

My hands burn at the thought of anyone being killed.

Has she used it before? Does she know how to use it? Why does Victoria have something this dangerous with her when she's a scientist?

I look behind me to make sure Victoria is busy and start quickly taking the bullets off the top of the shotgun. It might just be something she never uses, but there is no way I could just leave it here ready to fire at will.

There are only seven shotgun bullets so it's quite easy to take them all out, but I'm careful not to pull them out too quickly in fear of fumbling with the gun and pulling the trigger. By the time I get all the bullets out, I throw them in my backpack and quickly switch on the safety so she can't go around firing it.

There, now she can't hurt anyone with it…

"Are you done dressing up in there?" Victoria calls to me.

I look over to find Victoria plugging in the last few wires and plugs, completely oblivious to the discovery I just made. She has a big smile on her face as she works…

"Y-yeah I'm done," I stamper, making my way out of the closet, "s-so are we starting?"

Victoria plugs something into her console and the machine wakes up. It starts to glow red, and little bits of whirring life can be heard from its cold design. She stares at it for a few moments, and I see something in her eyes. Only this time, it doesn't make me happy.

It makes me worried.

"Yes," she says, "it's time now child."

* * *

The machine whirrs to life in front of me, buzzing and clicking with its many components at work.

The red glow emitting from the metal contraption is starting to make me nervous. I never really paid attention to what Victoria was saying when she was describing how this thing worked, and now I was going to pay the price. How that price would be paid I didn't know, but it would probably be in a horrible dying fashion since that's how most people learn their lessons whenever things go wrong.

I shakily turn toward Victoria, who grins as she continues working at the control panel. She seems way too happy for what's about to happen right now. I mean, I guess sending a kid home to his family can make you that way, but that doesn't seem to be the reason she's happy right now.

The buttons she pushes make a satisfying noise, but it's not enough to calm me down.

"We're ready to begin," Victoria announced.

A button is pressed, and the door of the machine opens. It grinds along the ground harshly, making awful sounds that sound like rusty metal screeching across the floor. I cover my ears and wait for the awful process to end.

When the door finally opens, cold air escapes from the confines of the machine. My hands feel the exact opposite way instead, like their burning on fire right now from anticipation. Everything feels hot and ashy again. I want to go into the machine, but something is holding me back. Something's not right here. Nothing is right here at all. My heart says to go into the machine, but my gut is saying something else. It's almost like a voice. A soft voice that is barely audible unless you strain to hear it.

It's telling me to " _absolutely not go into the machine unless you want to die_."

"What are you waiting for?" Victoria asks, "having cold feet?"

I turn around to find Victoria staring at me with a confused look in her eyes.

"N-no," I answer, "n-not at all…"

It's really hard masking the fear in my voice. That shotgun just keeps popping into my mind whenever I look at Victoria now.

A sigh escapes Victoria and she approaches me.

"I wish there was a different way to regain your memories," she says, "but right now this machine is your best option. If you don't want to do this then I understand, but if you don't then there's simply nothing else I can do for you."

Her words linger in my brain a bit, sending shivers down my spine.

"Are you sure this will work?" I ask, "t-that this machine will help me get my memories back and you're not lying about this?"

"I cross my heart and swear on my life," Victoria says, "I promise you."

I feel like all this is still a trick, but she hasn't attacked me yet, and nothing she does indicates she wants to harm me. If she wanted to then she would've done it back at the alleyway when no one could even see us. Besides, if I don't do this now, then I'm screwed. I'll just be right back at square one and be on a wild goose chase for that blue haired girl again. I know all these things about her, but I don't know how to find her. This city is way too big for me to try and conduct that kind of search by myself.

Well, I'm done running around this city,

"O-okay," I say, "let's do this I guess…"

"Excellent!" she shouts, "then let's get started Eric!"

Her comment surprises me despite the sincerity to her statement. She sounded so excited in that one moment that it genuinely concerns me.

I don't have any time to think about it though as Victoria quickly rushes back to the control panel and starts everything up again. The lights in the station turn on. The electricity enters the machine. The big contraption starts to spin with its spikes.

And all that's left to do is for me to climb inside it.

With shaky steps, I climb onto the huge metal platform. There's nothing inside the glass dome beside me and this huge spikey thing above my head that spins violently. Even with my shoes on, I can tell the metal is extremely warm under me. Maybe Victoria actually did test this thing before I came. Everything is still boiling hot in here.

The door closes behind me, and I hear strange beeping coming from the contraption.

"Now Eric!" Victoria calls out, "you might feel a little pain during this experiment, but rest assured it will pass quickly!"

Victoria smiles when she says that, causing a ripple of heat to overtake me once again.

"Hey um…" I say, "shouldn't I be wearing some sort of protective gear or something?"

A hearty laugh escapes Victoria as she quickly grabs her notepad.

"Oh child, that won't be necessary," she says quickly, "what you have on right now is perfect."

With quick eager steps, Victoria opens a hatch and grips onto a lever. It's coated orange, and connects to all the wires that enter this machine. Just looking at it makes my hands burn with worry.

"On the count of three I'll start it!" she shouts, "brace yourself Eric!"

The machine's noises start getting much louder in my ears. Each vibration or bump feeling like a pounding drum inside my skull. The metal spike whirls above me while electricity bounces off it onto the floor. The heat inside my body grows in intensity as it descends near my head.

"One!" Victoria shouts.

There's a fifty percent chance that this might all be a trick and I'm going to die.

"Two!" she yells.

There's also a fifty percent chance that this might actually work and I'll see my family again.

"THREE!" she screams.

She pulls down the lever, and everything starts to burn inside me.

Screams escape me, high shrill screams that echo in the chamber. It's so painful, so horrible. I want it to stop, but I know it won't. That burning feeling inside me is so strong now, but for some reason, it's also fading. That voice in my head is fading, it's screaming as it does. I'm screaming right now. I'm screaming. In pain, in terror. I don't know. I'm losing my mind.

Blood rushes out and I scream. Snapping bones grind inside me, escaping from my skin as I fall to the floor. Hot boiling lava rushes out of my hands and pours onto the floor. My eyes strain. Black spots cover my vision. My fingers crack and groan. Electricity enters into me and starts frying everything in my body. My heart pounds, exploding with a huge weight of agony.

I can't tell what's happening, but I know that I'm dying. Or maybe I am. Maybe I'm the real world and I don't know. You _don't_ know. _We all don't_ know. Things are _fluxing_ in and _out of focus_ now. I can see things. Things I _can't_ _describe_ any more. There is _fire_ , and _burning_ _people_. People I know. _People_ _you_ _know_. I'm seeing women. I'm seeing _blue_ _hair_. _I'm seeing my parents again_.

 _ooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo_

The pressure around me suddenly releases and I fall to the floor. My heart is straining, my lungs are gasping. Water fills my eyes because it hurts so much to keep them open. My legs, the same legs I use to run are completely gone. I can't even feel them right now. They are there, but I can't even feel them. It's like I'm awake, and dying, and sleeping all at the same time.

I can't even open my mouth, but I force myself to mutter a word. Mutter a single sentence.

"V-vic-victoria…" I gasp, "w-what j-just… h-happened? D-did… so-something… backfire?"

My ears are bleeding, but I can still hear from them. And from what I can hear beside ringing, I hear a chuckle. I hear someone laughing. I hear her laughing. Oh god no. Please don't tell me…

"Nothing backfired child," Victoria says amusingly, "everything went according to plan."

According to plan? Oh my god I knew it! She lied to me and played me for a fool! Now I'm stuck here. Withering away on the floor. She wanted this? Why would she…

"Now hold still," she says, "this next shock could be a little deadly."

Deadly? She's starting it up again-

My heart screams. The air escaped me. My eyes turn blood red. Fingers cranking. Bones gone. I think I'm screaming, but my voice is so raw I can't tell. Everything hurts so much. I can't stop it. I'm stuck living like this and everything escapes me. The boiling feeling in my body is escaping me now. Cold takes over. It's so cold now. I never thought I would miss heat so much.

The pain stops again and I'm gasping for breath. There's little air around me, and the air I absorb is dead. I can't catch my breath. I can't even see right now. It hurts so much.

"V-vic-victoria…" I try and say.

"Yes Eric?" Victoria replies simply, "is there something you want to say?"

I want to say so many things. I want to break out of here and run as fast as I can. But I can't move, I can't even talk.

"Hm, I guess not," Victoria says, "although I must admit I'm getting some impressive readings here Eric. You are a gold mine of research."

I'm a gold mine? Am I that important to someone that it came to this? I struggle to get up, my legs won't move the way I want them to.

"W-why…?" I mutter, "w-what are you doing?"

Victoria looks up at me, and I finally see her gleaming eyes.

"Oh Eric," Victoria frowns, "you didn't actually believe me did you? Were you that gullible that you took the help from a stranger to see your family again? Honestly you must be joking."

She's scribbling down notes and putting in tabs, it all transfers to the big screen with the red blob. It updated, and now it says a time and date. I can't see it though, it's way to blurry.

"I t-trusted you Victoria!" I manage to shout.

"Trust can be a one-way street sometimes," she says, "I thought you of all people would know about that. After all, you were so weary of everyone when you first came here."

I say nothing back in response, but I could feel my cheeks boiling.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask, "I'm a human being!"

"Correction, you're not a human being," she replies, "it you were then I'd think twice about doing this to you. But in reality, you're something else. Something beyond a human."

Her statement catches me off guard to the point where I almost stumble back.

"W-what are you talking about?" I stutter, "of course I'm human!"

She walks closer to the glass now, staring me right in the eyes.

"Please don't make laugh," she continues, "Eric, you are a monster. One of the biggest things that have ever happened to this city since the Black Hound. You're something no one's ever seen before. Your little display on Friday with that portal proved to me that you are a force of something else entirely."

She smiles viciously, as she leans down and stares me in the face.

"You're something completely different from a human Eric," she says.

Her eyes, they're full of glee and wonder. Almost like a child burning ants with a magnified glass. I can't believe I simply believed this women! I'm such an idiot for not trusting my gut. Now she's trapped me here for her sick twisted experiments.

"W-why… do you want me?" I force out.

For a moment, complete silence fills the air.

Then I see her walk away to another table, picking up some notes and papers with things written on them.

"There is a supernatural property to you that I need," she explains, "which isn't so surprising considering your explosive background and you're little friends roaming the streets."

Friends? Who is she talking about? What is she-

"I wasn't lying when I said you had something in you Eric," she says, "but that thing is so powerful that it dwarf's anything ever recorded. You have so much power in fact that it dwarfs the Great Raven's alone my child!"

It dwarfs the Great Raven? The same Great Raven that's celebrated in this city for being a god? How the heck am I more powerful than that? If anything I'm weaker than I ever was before because of this women.

"T-that's crazy talk!" I say, "what are you even saying?"

Victoria looks at me dead in the eyes and smiles again.

"Have you been hearing voices?" she says, "having thoughts that you normally wouldn't have? Have you felt claws or seen animal teeth? Smelled ash in the sky? Or how about feeling anger? Feeling power? Feeling boiling heat in a dangerous situation…"

I don't say anything to her, but she must see something in my eyes because she continues on anyway.

"All those things you've been experiencing," she goes on, "was because of that "thing" in you. I'd like to call it sort of a guardian. You can't see it yet, but it's inside you. I've studied them before with great care from other people, and I know that it will take a powerful amount of energy to release it."

What she says sounds like nonsense, but she predicted my visions. She knows about every symptom or thing that's happened to me so far. Is there really something in me? And she said she studied others as well. Are there others like me?

"This machine that you've entered," she continues, "it's purpose was to extract that "thing" inside you and turn it into a something more. Something that can help with the rest of my work. Something that can help me control the weather again… something that can help me… get revenge on others…"

Oh god no…

"W-who are you talking about? Get revenge on who?"

"You don't need to worry about that child," Victoria says, "after all, why do you care? What's a few more dead people in this city going to do? I doubt anyone will care when they found out. People die every day, and once I get your power I will use it to its fullest extent possible!"

"N-no…" I say, "y-you can't do that!"

"I can and I will," she says, "you haven't even attempted to reach your potential, so now I'm taking it for myself. I was thinking much to small before with weather spirits. What you have makes them look like playthings. I'm going to use your guardian, and finally get the power I deserve to save this city! I will use this power and finally take back my _life_!"

She shouts the last word with bitter anger in her speech as she pounds on the table. The anger reminds of something though. It reminds me of something long ago in my past. But it also reminds me of her conversation that we had in the stairway. She talked about her lab, which was destroyed by a bird and some kids. That must be who she's referring to. There's no one else I can think of that she might want dead.

I wish those same people who took her down before we're here again, but they aren't. I doubt they would come anyway. I just wish I had the same vigilance as them to know she was crazy. And now here I am, with still no way out in sight.

"Please Victoria," I plead, "let me go. This isn't like you…"

"You're right Eric," she says, "but I'm at a point in my life where I've seen it all. I've seen things bigger things then myself, and I know this city won't be able to defend against it. Your power though can protect those. And benefit me."

There's no way I can talk any sense to Victoria. She's lost to much, worked to many years on this for her mind to be changed. She's done this before, which means she wouldn't think twice if she could do it again.

She can't be reasoned with, even if I beg.

If feels like my body is on fire right now. Maybe it's that "thing" Victoria was mentioning, but I don't care now. This women is completely crazy…

"You're pathetic," I say.

Victoria almost instantly reacts, turning around and staring at me with anger in her eyes.

"What did you say to me child?" Victoria says.

I don't think I've ever talked back to anyone before this point, but now I can't hold back anymore. All the anger and resentment inside me come boiling out as I speak my next few words.

"You're pathetic Victoria," I repeat, "I don't know what happened to you before, but handling it like this is just wrong! I haven't done anything to you, and yet you do this and attempt to justify it with rash actions? You say you want to make the world a better place, but look at what you're doing now!"

I stare her dead in the eyes. I don't back down anymore.

"Whoever those people were that destroyed your lab did the right thing before you caused any more harm!" I scream, "they saw what you become and they stopped it! They had more sense than you ever will!"

I stare at her, and finally understand what the glint in her eyes were when I came out of the closet. They were filled with mad determination. Someone who was eager to get back to their ruthless work, no matter the cost. She's truly insane.

"You are mad," I say simply.

She stares at me with a glint of rage in her eyes. I've gone to deep now. I expect her to pound the door in a rage or drag me out of the machine and start to beat me to death.

But then she simply smiles.

"Say all you want now Eric…" she claims, "because you don't seem to understand the situation you're in. You came with me willingly, and now you're trapped here. No one will know where you are, or care in the slightest. No one will care, because you are alone, and no one cares for those who go it alone."

Victoria whirls around and heads for the control panel. The lever glows in the haunting light of the lab now. When she pulls it, I'm going to die. Or maybe I'm just going to lose this powerful energy stored within me. Both sound equally bad, because now I know I have a purpose here. I have to find out what is inside me. Maybe that can get me back home…

Victoria heads to the control panel and grips onto the level, glaring at all the while. She wants me to see her pull it down. But I won't give her the satisfaction of looking away. Instead, I stare right back, with boiling rage inside me. Now I can hear the voice within me. Loud and clear. It's telling me to fight back. And that's exactly what I intend to do.

Victoria starts to pull down the switch. As she does this, the electric spike above me starts to charge up. It's going to get me no matter what, so all I can do is attempt to break the glass in front of me. I punch it as hard as I can with my right hand, having my knuckles harden as I smash it into the glass.

I hear something crack in front of me, and look up to see a slight crack in the machine. Despite how dense it was, I actually managed to make somewhat of a dent.

I look over to Victoria to find the switch is about to go down. Even if I start punching the glass like crazy to attempt to escape, I won't get it done in time. Even though I cracked it, I can't escape this. There's no way out. Unless by some miracle someone comes to save me, then there's no way I can make it out of this. I'm going to die-

 _CLANK_!

I whirl over to one of the boarded windows just in time to see a rock bouncing off the wood! It's so fast that Victoria doesn't catch it, but I see it, and I instantly know who it's from.

Trevor and his group must've followed me here! Now they're distracting Victoria from the panel! I don't know how they found me, but I'm just thankful they did!

Another rock is thrown at the window and this time Victoria actually hears it like me. She seems confused at first, but doesn't dwell to long at it as she still stares me down when she pulls the switch.

Electricity runs through my veins and I scream. My heart burns, my eyes water, and my feet give out again. I can't even hold myself up, but I force myself to watch Victoria head over to the window and inspect what's happening. I can't tell what she says, but I can tell she's occupied. I can't do anything though. Red hot fire courses through my body, destroying my brain. Blood runs down my nose again, and everything quickly becomes black.

It feels like forever before the pain thankfully stops. The red lights turn off. The machine dies, and suddenly the doors open in front of me. Victoria is still over by the window, so she doesn't see the machine powering down. She's too occupied with the rocks.

I attempt to stand up, but my legs give out under me and I feel myself collapsing forward. The metal floor is only inches from my face before I feel someone catching me. I don't know who it is, and I don't even have the strength to thank them.

"I-is he dead?" someone whispers.

I can't tell who it is, it sounds like a boy saying that. Doesn't sound like Trevor or Mike though…

"I-I don't know," a girl whispers, "but we have to get him out of here now."

My eyes widen. Now I know that voice. It certainly isn't B., and it doesn't sound like Claire either. No, the voice is familiar. It's someone I've known for a long time now. Someone I've been searching for. Their voice sounds almost identical to her. That's because it is her, I know it's her this time.

I stare up, and my eyes open.

And staring back at me is the blue haired girl.


	11. Silver Shining Shotgun Shells

**_?/?/? - ? - ?_**

 _Run, Run, Run._

 _Pick up your legs and run as fast as you can._

 _Don't stop for a second, keep going._

 _Don't think, or waver._

 _Just run._

 _Run all the way to the grave and beyond._

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

"H-he's actually moving," a boy whispered.

I don't know who the voice belongs to, but I hear a hint of fear when he speaks. Whoever it is might be friendly, at least I hope so. Whoever it is looks really blurry. In all honesty, I don't really know what's happening anymore. I couldn't even think straight.

I mean I could, but the immense pain from Victoria's machine stopped me from thinking otherwise. My mind, it wasn't working right. Everything was missing inside me, clashing together like a war zone. All reality felt like it was a dream. A dream that I was stuck in, and seemed to be floating in. That's what everything felt like, but for some reason, it seemed worse to me. Because I was burning in it, and it felt like fire. And it was real.

Everything felt warm, and hot. I think I was sweating heavily under my clothes. My head drooped, all I could see was the floor and something white. Was it light? Whatever the light was came closer and seemed to sniff me. There were also blobs of other colors around the white. Maybe shoes? If that's the case then there we're three sets around me. I didn't know which one belonged to the blue-haired girl. The same girl I've been looking for since I got here.

"H-how though?" another person says, "from those burns he has, he should be completely paralyzed right now…"

Another person. It sounds like another girl. I can't see what they look like. They said something about me. I can't really hear that much anymore.

"We can find out later," the blue-haired girl says, "all that matters now is that we get him out of here."

My vision was blurry again, but I could see it. I could see her. The same girl I've been looking for this whole time. I finally get to meet her after days of searching, and we meet under the worst circumstances. It's almost ironic. This is the last thing I wanted to happen when I was searching for her. But now we're in Victoria's lab, and I think we both know she has no intention of letting me escape.

Everything in my body feels weightless, but I force myself to try and stand up. The moment my legs make contact with the floor however, a rushing feeling of fire claws its way into my bones. I wince from the blinding pain entering in my body, and I flop right back into the girl's arms again.

"H-hey, easy there," the blue-haired girl says again, "you don't want to hurt yourself now."

I want to shake my head in response, but I know she's right. My legs feel like hell right now. Even if I wanted to move. it would be completely painful to do so.

"Someone's got to carry him," the boy says again, "it looks like he's barely holding on…"

After he says that, I feel a shift in my arm's weight and notice it's slung across someone's shoulder.

"I got him," the blue haired girl says, "someone take care of the door."

She's carrying me? But, how did she find me? Who are the other two? Is Victoria to occupied with the rocks to notice us? And who turned off the machine to save me? There are so many questions happening in my head, but all I can do is just ask more.

I force myself to lift my eyes to observe what's happening, only to find a blurry filter blocking my vision. I only get a glimpse of things, but never the full picture. Swift colors of something start moving around me, and the only thing I can see clearly is a white blob of a tail. The other blobs seem like nothing to me. I can still hear rocks pounding on the window. Whoever is out is doing a great job keeping Victoria distracted, because she somehow still doesn't notice us.

For a few moments, the pain inside me dims a bit. I would count it as progress, but everything in my head still feels like weightless air. I can't tell what's happening anymore. All I know is that I think I'm being rescued right now. That's a good thing…

My throat feels completely raw, but I still attempt to speak.

"T-tha-" I mumble.

My throat chokes up and I'm quickly silenced. It hurt so much to speak anyway. No one else hears the words I spoke, the other blobs don't even look my way.

All the blobs except for the blue haired girl.

The blurry vision I have dissipates, and I finally can see her face clearly. Now she's the only thing in the room that my eyes can properly focus on. Even with the pain, I can see every detail clearly. She's younger than I thought she was, maybe ten or eleven at most. She wears a pretty normal outfit, with the only standout items being her small yellow scarf and her glowing blue hair. I think she might wearing a hat, but the top part of her head is out of my field of vision so I can't be sure. She also wears some boots that I didn't notice before. They look huge.

"A-are you okay?" she suddenly asks, "what's wrong?"

She looks at me with concern in her eyes, trying her best to hold me still since my legs struggle and whine. I look back at her, and for some reason, my heart starts to burn. Not in pain, but in something else. I don't really know. I can't recall what it is.

This is the first time I'm seeing her in real life, and I can barely do or say anything. She came for me though, somehow knowing where I am. I don't know how she knew, but I know she came. She didn't have to, but she still did. That's all I care about now. Even the pain in my throat starts to grow further from mind. All I can think about is her coming to save me.

My throat hurts so much, but I force myself to utter the next words.

"I-I… just…" I stutter, "t-thank… you."

She stays silent for a few moments, looking at me with surprised eyes. Maybe she didn't expect me to say that. Or maybe she's just surprised that I can actually speak right now. Whatever the case is, she doesn't stop looking at me. And I don't dare look away either. We just… stare at each other for a bit. In both curiosity and awe.

Even in this situation we're in, she looks so familiar. Not only because she was present in my previous vision, but also because… I feel like I just know her somehow. I must've seen her somewhere before all this because I can't help but think I know so much about her. Maybe…

After I say that, she suddenly starts helping me move closer to the door. The sudden change in speed sends stabbing pain through my heart. I attempt to wince to hide the pain, but she notices anyway and goes slower for me. Someone has already opened the door, and now they're coming over to help me out too. A lot of people are helping me from the looks of it. I just can't see them. There might be three people around me, but I don't know who any of them are. I don't even know their names…

My throat tightens a bit from the pain in my body, but I force myself to choke out another question.

"W-wait, I-I didn't…" I sputter, "catch your name…"

I don't notice what the others say, although they do mumble something in response. All I can do is look at the blue-haired girl, whose eyes widen just a bit after I ask that. I don't even know why. She probably didn't expect me to ask that considering where we are, but I have to know. For so long I've been calling her "the blue-haired girl", but now that we finally meet. I need to know. I just need to know a name.

She takes a few seconds to answer, longer then I'd expect.

"It's… Hilda…" she says.

 _Hilda._

So she was the girl Trevor was always talking about. But it's not that fact about her that makes my brain burn. That name… somehow that name means she's-

"YOU!"

For a second, everything in the universe stops for me. That voice, It doesn't even take me a millisecond for me to know who that voice belongs to. It's hers, it's Victoria's. I don't have to look to know it's hers. Neither does Hilda for her eyes to widen in alarm just from hearing her. Victoria's scream is so loud I'm pretty sure my bones start to rattle in my chest.

My eyes whirl over to see Victoria staring at us with enraged eyes. Besides Hilda, she's the only other person I can see clearly with my vision. And with the way she's looking at me, I wish I didn't turn around to begin with. Her expression is a mixture of surprise and anger. Her fist clench tightly with rage. Her gaze piercing through me.

She caught us.

Everything happens in an instant. Victoria quickly launches her hands toward her closet an pulls out a glistening silver shotgun already pointed toward me. The sight of the silver tinted barrel is enough for my legs to suddenly stand up by themselves. All that pain I was feeling earlier has completely vanished from every part of my body. The reason it vanishes? I don't know. Nor do I care anymore. Seeing a gun pointed at your head can do that to you, especially when it's held by an unstable old lady.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Victoria screams.

I almost don't pick up what she says with the intense ringing in my ears. Everything is pounding in my skull, counting down with loud rhythmic sounds of Victoria's footsteps following us. My legs stay frozen for a few moments. Both from shock and fear at Victoria rushing at me. Everyone else though doesn't even have to be told what to do. Hilda instantly takes my hand and starts running right out the door with the rest of the group. My legs, once feeling like sticks, suddenly start to fly right along with the others as we race for our lives.

As we rush out into the dusted hallway, I faintly hear the click of the shotgun trigger. My body tenses up in anticipation for the bullet to come flying out, only to hear nothing happen behind me.

"W-What!?" Victoria shouts "WHAT IS THIS?!"

I don't bother to hear the rest of Victoria's sentence as I quickly start catching up with the rest of the group as we stumble our way down the rickety stairs. Even though everything feels like it's burning right now, I try my best to just rush down the stairs with everyone else. No one except Hilda stays by my side as we run, which slightly makes feel a bit calmer. Even with the crazy lady behind us wielding a shotgun.

Remembering that fact, I start to rush ahead of everyone else until I make it to the front. Everything feels weightless under me as the colors of the abandoned apartment blur together in my vision. Rushing down the stairs like nothing is even there. Keep going. Don't stop, not even for a second. I keep telling myself that. Or rather, something inside me is telling myself that. I don't even know anymore. I just run for my life.

Despite how fast I'm surging through the hallway, I notice from the corner of my eye that Hilda quickly flies past me like it's nothing. It almost surprises me until I remember what Trevor told me about her coming from the wilderness. She must be much faster than almost everyone here. and the only one that keeps up with her is a strange fox like creature beside her. I don't have time to process what that thing even is, because I'm already nearing the last few steps to the next floor.

By the time I turn the corner to the third floor, a loud sound of someone gasping before hitting the floor interrupts my concentration. I quickly turn around to find a boy slowly trying to pick himself up, his eyes full of fear and worry. His boots are caught between a few broken floorboards, and he desperately tries to free himself in a panic. He looks more horrified than me right now, quickly trying to catch up with everyone else before tripping again.

"G-guys! Wait for me!" he shouts.

Something kicks in within my brain that makes me rush forward to help him up before the other two girls can reach him in time. I pull him up instantly through the wood without too much trouble and shove him over to Hilda and the other girl for safety.

Before he's even able to say anything, a huge blast is heard from up the stairs before a sudden burst of wood chips and dust fly out from one of the pillars next to me. I instantly fly down to the floor to avoid whatever happened, causing smidges of dust to entrap itself onto my clothes again. It happens so quickly that no one even has time to notice what has happened before Victoria starts to load in another bullet.

"Nice try," Victoria wickedly says, "but you won't get away from me that easily! Not this time! NOT AGAIN!"

She's already loaded up the bullet and pointed the gun toward me before I even process what's about to happen.

Victoria Van Gale is actually trying to kill me…

"GET DOWN!" someone shouts.

Something huge tackles me down to the floor as the shot rings out. It's hard to process what it is or what's even happening before I hit the ground, but all I know is another huge sound is produced. Dust flies out into the air, causing me to instinctively turn over to where I was standing before. My heart freezes when I find a huge jagged hole replacing what was once the floor.

That could've been me.

There's no time to wonder who shoved me out of the way, as Victoria quickly loads another bullet and points it at me once again.

"DON'T YOU DARE INTERFERE WITH MY PLANS!" she shouts, "THIS IS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN ALL OF YOU CAN EVEN IMAGINE!"

Before she can pull the trigger, Hilda instantly springs between me and her with her arms shielding me from her view. I still barely even know much about her, and she's already flinging herself over to protect me. Doesn't she know she can die from this? Did she even think of this situation happening? Maybe not. She has the same determined look in her eyes, but now I can sense a flicker of fear in them to.

"Victoria!" Hilda shouts, "you don't have to do this-"

"You don't know what's at stake!" Victoria shouts, "none of you do! Now out of my way or I'll shoot right through you!"

Fear starts to fill my chest when she says that.

"W-wait! Please stop this!" I shout behind Hilda, "we can just talk this out and-"

"I'm done talking," Victoria replies, right before pulling the trigger.

I want rush up and push Hilda out of the way, but two things happen that make me freeze up. First, something small and white flashes across my vision that quickly shoves me and Hilda out of harm's way from the first bullet Victoria shoots. Then as I fall, I watch Victoria shooting the second bullet, only for her arms to suddenly jerk up and start firing into the air.

Someone yells something in response, but I don't hear what it is, because Victoria shoots another bullet widely into the ceiling. She starts to shake as she does this, trying desperately to hit something off her. I don't know what's going on, but something appears to be stalling her from shooting at us. She has a clear shot, but she's too busy swatting the area around her.

"HILDA!" the two other kids shout in alarm.

I turn over to the stairs to see the other two kids eyes wide with terror, the boy gripping onto the girl's jacket for some type of support. They must've thought she had gotten shot. Heck, even I almost thought that. But something saved us…

"W-we're fine!" she responds, "Just hurry and get out of here!"

While the boy stands there with a horrified look on his face, the other girl quickly nods and grabs his hand without hesitation, rushing down the stairs again to avoid Victoria's shotgun barrage. Me and Hilda meanwhile barely have any time to get up, as Victoria harshly slaps something out of her way and points her gun toward us again.

Hilda's eyes go wide.

"ALFUR!" Hilda screams in a panic.

I don't know who she's referring to, but I hear something faintly in the room probably responding to her. I don't even question what it might be as another bullet comes flying out toward me and Hilda. Without any hesitation, I tackle Hilda out of the way from the blast and instantly start to get up again with her holding my hand. Victoria starts following quickly behind us, so me and her have to rush our way down to the second level of the building without looking back.

The white little flash pushes me out of the way again before another bullet comes crashing down into the floor, sending dust shooting into the air near my eyes. It isn't until that bullet shoots out that I realize that we might actually die. My heart races, my hands burn. I can't even understand what's happening anymore. I shakily stand up and only regain my balance again until after Hilda grabs my hands and helps me run down the stairs.

"YOU WON'T TAKE THIS FROM ME AGAIN!" Victoria screams just above us, "NOT AGAIN YOU SELFISH CHILD!"

I already know she has her gun pointed at us. We won't make it to the next stairwell. I can see the broken steps a few feet away, but a bullet is so much quicker than two terrified kids.

Without realizing, I quickly take Hilda's hand and crash into another room of the building just as the shot rings out behind us. Dazed and a little confused, we stumble a bit in the new room before I can sense where we are. It's an incomplete bedroom, full of destroyed furniture and dirty rags everywhere. A perfect place to hide from her. I don't even wait to see if Hilda gets what I'm thinking, I just rush under one of the broken beds that still has a mattress on it and crawl to my knees. It takes a bit of time to shimmy my way under it, but I eventually get a good position in and hold my breath as nails and wood scratches over my dirty coat.

When I finally look out from under the bed again, I start to search for Hilda anywhere in my immediate proximity. My eyes dart every corner of the cluttered room, taking in every object with care and fear in hopes that she at least hid well enough. She came from the wilderness after all, so hiding must also be a strong suit for her. As long as she's well-hidden we might be okay. Then we can leave when Victoria doesn't notice us.

I look around for a good solid second before inching myself a bit deeper into the darkness. I barely can see Hilda's bright blue hair anywhere, so she must've gotten the message and hidden somewhere safe with that white fluffy thing. I don't know exactly where, but hopefully somewhere secure. Maybe a closet, or someplace closed off. As long as Victoria doesn't-

"I thought you were smarter than this..."

My heart stops as the sound of the door opens.

"To hide in a room with only one possible option for escape just seems foolish to me."

Even though my lungs feel like they're on fire right now, I force myself to stay quiet and slink back deeper under the bed.

I can hear Victoria close the door tightly behind her before she locks it.

It's so quiet out in the room that every step Victoria takes echoes through the air. She doesn't seem to know where I am. Which is obviously good. But also bad because what Victoria said was right. The only escape route is through the door that leads to the hallway, and it sounds like Victoria's already blocking it before we even have a chance to run.

Victoria's footsteps ring out through the room, taunting us as she continues checking each nook and cranny with observant eyes. She looks behind desk, overturns boxes, and opens closet doors before moving onto the next item. While she doesn't seem to be doing a very good job of looking for us, I can tell that she's getting closer with each failed result. She's going to corner us soon, and then what? The thought of trapping not only myself, but Hilda here makes my brain burn with guilt. She tried to save me, and I brought her here…

The only way out is through the door. I just have to get to the door and unlock it before Victoria notices. Then me and Hilda can get the hell out of this place. I quickly risk a glance at the door.

She's left it unguarded.

"I didn't want this you know," Victoria suddenly says, "I never thought of _this_ as my future."

Her voice is lower now, almost sounding normal as she stalks through the corridors.

"Back then," she continues, "I just wanted to make a difference. Providing for this city with my inventions. My machines. If I found the secret to how weather spirits worked and how to control them, I could've blossomed Trolberg into something more. Something _better_!"

She says the last word with bitter rage, sending boxes crashing down onto the floor as she continues her search.

"But you didn't care to think about it like that. Did you Hilda? You didn't seem to _care at all_! You came and destroyed everything! And now it's all like this! Do you know what you caused ever since that day? Do you know about all the trials and hardships I went through ever since you came into my lab? Did you even THINK ABOUT IT!"

Her conversation isn't directed toward me at all. She seems to have a special hatred for Hilda even more than me. That means she's distracted. This is my only chance now! As Victoria walks to the other side of the room, I crawl out of the bed quickly and hide behind one of the overturned desk. The door is only a few feet away…

"You never had to deal with those consequences. You didn't think of what it meant in the long run, you just thought it was right at _that_ moment. Not even thinking about what would happen once you freed that weather spirit."

Even with the situation, we're in, I can't help but be surprised at what I'm hearing. So much so that I stop in my tracks after Victoria says that.

"And now you're doing the same thing again. Honestly, do you ever think things through?"

At this point, what Victoria says doesn't even register. All I can notice now things finally starting to click. Hilda, the same girl who's trying to save me now, the same girl I've been looking for this entire time, is not only the same girl that hung out with Trevor during the Bird Parade and helped the Great Raven, but also is the same "kid" who went to Victoria's station and destroyed it after her true intentions were revealed.

Knowing this, somehow makes Hilda appear even braver than I already thought she was. She did all this, and yet she still came for me. That seems incredible to think about. She came for someone like me, who is still looking for a way to run from this…

My eyes dart over to the far corner of the room to see Victoria nearing a dusted closet, stalking her way past it over to some more crudely placed furniture. My hands warm up, and my legs start to boil. She looks completely distracted in her speech! Now is the perfect chance to run!

I'm about to bolt to the door and rush outside before my eyes land on something. They land on something blue, shimmering through the light in the far corner of the room. If it wasn't for the light shining through the window I honestly might've missed her, but thanks to the sun's rays I saw the trouble that was slowly unfolding before me. Behind the dusted closet in the corner of the room, protected by some worn boxes was an all too familiar face.

She was slightly crouched, peaking out of her little hiding spot to check on Victoria's location. She had what looked like a white fox next to her, peeking out with her. Both looked like they were ready to run for the door.

But even from my location, I could tell Hilda wasn't going to make it.

If Hilda stays there, Victoria will just find her hiding spot and corner her easily. But there was no way she could straight up bolt it to the door either. She was way too far away, and there was nothing in the path to duck behind if Victoria shot at her. Even if she missed, Hilda would be completely side tracked for a bit before she could tell what was even happening. If I didn't intervene somehow, Hilda wasn't going to escape this situation unharmed.

But… what do I do? I had to intervene, but I didn't know how to combat anything. If I don't do anything, the girl who's been trying to save me this whole time might get hurt. But, I've just been running for so long that that's all I know how to do now. In this situation, I'd have to fight. But I don't know how to do that. I'm just a weak twelve-year-old. I never thought anything like this would happen. I can't fight. I can't convince myself on anything.

What am I gonna do? Why did I listen to Victoria? Why is this happening to me?

" _Why are you hiding?"_

For a second, I think it's just Victoria starting to talk again. But then I realize that there's a fountain of blood rushing down my nose at incredible speed.

" _Why aren't you fighting her?"_

Unlike the other times, this bloody stream is gushing out blood like a faucet. It felt… warm. Just like all the other times.

" _You know you have to fight her."_

These thoughts. They aren't my own, aren't they? It's that "thing" inside me. It's telling me that I have to fight. Can I really do that though? Can I actually combat this?

" _I know you can."_

Focus. Just concentrate through it. Ignore everything, and focus. Ignore the stupid blood. Ignore the speech Victoria is giving. Look into the darkness and channel your fear. Look into _the past._ Find _your o_ wn way through. _Just Focus_ Eric. _I_ can do this as long as I'm calm. Even though we just met, _Hilda needs me._ She _needs me…_

" _Fight Eric."_

 _OOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

I open my eyes.

Something happened to me. I don't know what, but I feel it. It's coursing through my veins. Burning in my blood and rushing through the air around me. Victoria wasn't kidding when she said I have something in me, but she might've not known what it exactly was. I don't either. It kind of freaks me out knowing there might be something inside me at all. But now, I feel okay. Like I can get through this and fight my way out.

Okay, I can do this.

I breathe in heavily and peek behind me to examine the rest of the surrounding area this time. It takes a second to clear my vision, but then I finally get the full picture and see what I need to see. Victoria's getting even closer to the closet where Hilda is, smirking as she pokes her shotgun through boxes and chairs. Then there's Hilda, who now starts moving back further in her hiding spot with a determined look in her eyes. She doesn't even realize what I see. She doesn't even know that there's another escape option right behind her. The fire escape. The window behind her can be busted open and we can climb own it into the alley.

I still don't know exactly what to do. But I know how we can leave now. Just distract Victoria and rush down the fire escape. I can do that. If I can find something to use as a distraction we can get out.

Suddenly, I yank off my backpack and place it softly on the floor. Careful not to make a sound, I zip it open a tiny bit and fish out one of the shotgun bullets I took out earlier in the closet. Looking back, It didn't seem to really matter that much if I took out the bullets and put the safety on, since it looks like Victoria has extras stored somewhere anyway. But now I have something small and compact enough to make a lot of noise if I throw it somewhere. Say, a glass window right over the other side of the room.

I take position, breathe in and out, and then throw the unused bullet with all my strength toward the furthest window from my location. It literally seems to shoot right out of my hand and smashes right into the hard-pressurized surface of the glass. The glass instantly breaks and makes a huge crashing sound that sends Victoria rushing towards it.

That's the cue.

Without making a sound, I rush over to the other side of the room, who's eyes are wide with confusion.

"I know another way out," I exclaim, "just follow me very carefully."

Hilda eyes me for just a second, probably questioning my statement. But after a short amount of time, she gives me a small nod of understanding. I don't even hesitate once she's caught on. I quietly make my way behind Hilda and reach over for the rusted window handle. It doesn't even look like it's secured to the window, but I do my best to grip onto it ever so slightly.

Of course though, life is very unkind to those who run from their problems. In the next few seconds, the handle breaks off the window despite my light grip, and quickly falls violently to the floor. My eyes widen in alarm as the sound echoes in the room, sending a certain someone's footsteps rushing toward us.

"Oh, crap…" I whisper.

Before I have time to ponder how screwed we are, a sudden gust of wind outside sends the eroded window flying open. The sudden action of nature is enough to make me freeze, but without a moment's hesitation, Hilda quickly grabs my hand and starts pulling me out onto the fire escape. It doesn't take long until my senses return to me and I start rushing outside with her.

It's still the afternoon when we escape. When I got here it was at least two. I've must've been stuck in Victoria's lab for about an hour. Maybe more. I don't know the exact time, but all I can do is breathe out in relief. I'm finally out of that awful place. Even if I'm not out of Victoria's immediate area, I'm at least out of the building. That's a good start.

"We're almost there!" Hilda says, "just a little bit further!"

Her voice is enough to make me break out of my concentrated thought and turn toward her. She's already starting to climb down the latter, but she wavers just a bit around the top still waiting for me.

I start to make my way toward her when the sound of a shotgun blast roars behind me. The sound is enough for me to dive out of the way and land harshly next to one of the latter's, my arm hurting only slightly in the process. Still though, something isn't right. My lungs feel like they're on fire. My arms are boiling. Everything feels so warm.

"NO!" someone shouts.

I can't tell who it is. It's all a blur. My ears ring loudly for some reason. Was I too close when the shot rang out? I start to look down and see blood dripping down my shirt...

 _Did I just get shot?_

"Don't take one more step!" Victoria shouts behind me, "or I'll shoot another bullet through you!"

I whirl around to see Victoria pointing her shotgun at me once again, ready to pull the trigger. She has a determined glare as her hands steady, piercing into my soul. She's about to kill me, I know she is. This is the end of Eric Lyons…

At least it would've been, if a rock didn't hit her point-blank in the head!

She staggers back inside, clutching her forehead in pained grunts. Her shotgun lowers for just a moment, which gives me enough time to fly over to the latter where Hilda is.

"NO! YOU CAN'T LEAVE!" Victoria shouts, "I WON'T LET TROLBERG DIE BECAUSE OF YOU!"

I ignore her cries and rush down the fire escape with Hilda. My hands grip onto each bar and I quickly make my way down to the next level. Hilda makes sure I stay right behind her the entire time, preparing to block any potential bullets that may come my way. Even though she's a kid, she still willing to take a bullet for me. At least I think so.

We're almost down to the alley. Once we climb down the fire escape, we just have jump over the fence and run for our lives. It seems easy enough. Just run. Run as fast as I can.

I hear a slow click of something above me. It makes my eyes widen. I already know what it is before it even happens. It's already pointed toward us. More specifically toward Hilda. I can tell it's going to hurt her. Victoria's shotgun. She's already pulling the trigger.

"WATCH OUT!" someone screams.

Hilda doesn't notice in time. She looks up, and the bullet is already traveling toward her. I don't even think. I just rush up the latter and attempt to shield her with my body.

A large sound is produced in the air, echoing through the streets. Sparks fly right next to us. My ears ring, but it's not enough to mask the horrible grinding noise next to me. Screeches and groans overcome my hearing, and then something snaps and I find myself falling again. Only this time, the fire escape falls with me and crashes below into the alley. Right below is rock-solid concrete, so I brace myself as much as I can before I hit the bottom.

Everything hurts once I make contact with the stone. My body, my head, my legs. It feels like everything is tangled and snapped together. The pain is awful, only this time it's not because of a vision I'm about to have. I'm actually experiencing real physical pain, which is ten times worse. I think I lost a tooth on my way down as well because now my mouth feels funny. My arm feels really like crap, boiling heavily and throbbing with dim pain. Maybe it's the adrenaline that's helping me suppress the worst of it.

I don't even know what just happened until I see the broken fire escape right next to me. It's completely smashed, with metal bits and pieces sprinkled all over the floor. It must've been shot by Victoria's bullets and snapped off its supports, causing it to crash into the first floor with me and Hilda still on it.

Hilda! I jerk my body up. Instant pain causes me to recoil, but I force myself to look around. Where is she? Did she get shot? Fall down with me? I don't know where she is. I have to find her!

"H-Hilda…" I call out.

No answer. Oh god, where is-

"There they are!" a boy calls out.

That voice. It sounds like the boy from before. It came from right behind me.

I turn over and see the two kids. The girl and boy from before. They're looking at me, dead in the eyes. I can sense panic in their eyes as they rush over the fence into the ally. They're worried. Although I think more for Hilda then me since they have no idea who I am. Right next to them is a white fox, leading them over somewhere.

That somewhere is Hilda, who I can finally see now. She's lying right next to the fence, covered under some trash bags since she landed near a garbage pile. The white fox finds her first, quickly getting the other kids' attention and bringing them over to her. Relief seems to flood over them they rush to her, quickly pulling the trash bags off of her and getting her onto her feet. She looks a bit dazed, but she's alright.

I quickly scan her body for any sign of blood. She looks okay for the most part. Only a few bruises that might leave their mark for a while. Other than that though, no blood. She doesn't even look she has any trouble getting up. If she was wounded she would at least whine or complain. But she's not. Rather, she looks more alert than before now.

"Oh thank goodness you're okay," the other girl said, "we were worried sick about-"

"W-where is he?" Hilda interrupts.

Her sudden change in tone surprises me, so much so that I almost don't call out to them. Not like I could since a strange tingling feeling latched onto to my throat.

"What?" the boy replies.

"The boy, where is he?" Hilda says, "we need to get him out of here before-"

I don't hear the rest of what she says, because suddenly I start to cough violently. There's so much dust around from the crash that I'm not surprised, but it still hurts with every second. My throat chokes up, wheezing out a slight gasp of air that sends my hands clinging to my neck. My eyes water, threatening to spill out tears that don't end up falling. I can't even move properly, since I start shifting slightly after each revolting gasp.

Although It lasts for just a few moments, the feeling leaves me even more dazed than I usually am. Are the effects of Victoria's machine finally settling in now that I'm free? Is that what's happening to me? It feels like my body isn't in control anymore. Maybe that's what this is…

"Oh no…" Hilda says.

Her voice is quiet, but it's still enough to cut through my train of thought. They're coming toward me. I can sense it. Along with something else flying overhead. The sound of wings flapping and footsteps echo together loudly as they all come rushing over by my side.

"O-oh my gosh. I-is he okay?" someone asks.

"Are you kidding?" a girl says, "he's clearly in even worse condition than before!"

That sentence catches my attention. Worse? How bad do I look? Am I wounded or something? Even though my body feels awful, it doesn't feel like there's a bullet inside me. Right?

"It's worse than that I'm afraid," someone responds, "It appears he's been shot as well!"

Oh… well, forget that last part then.

"He's been shot?!" Hilda repeated, "t-then what are we waiting for?! Someone help me get him up!"

After she said that, two people, one who I'm assuming was Hilda, quickly shifted my arm around their shoulders and helped me up to my feet. My back was screaming in pain while they did this, but I managed to stabilize myself enough so I didn't scream in pain. After they help me start standing upright though, the pain from early vanishes.

Something's coming. And it's angry…

"You're going to be okay," Hilda says next to me, "we're getting you-"

"We need to go," I say, "right now."

All the kids look at me with shocked eyes. Besides Hilda, I don't think the others have heard me speak yet. Or maybe they have and I just don't remember. Right now though, I don't care about that. She's coming, and we need to go.

"What's going on?" the other girl says.

"We need to move. Right now," I say, trying to make my way to the fence.

Suddenly, a sudden spike of pain shoots up in my legs and I almost topple over. Hilda quickly catches me though, preventing me from falling face first onto the floor.

"W-wait, you're still hurt," Hilda says, "let us at least help you out."

"Y-you don't understand," I say, "she's-"

But I don't get to finish.

"You're not going anywhere…"

Everyone freezes up, including me. That voice, I know exactly who it belongs to by now. And at this point, I already think she has her gun pointed at us.

I turn around slowly and see her standing there, pointing her gleaming shotgun right at us. She stands there quietly, with her dirty lab coat blowing in the breeze. Her hair is still bright white, but now a bit of crimson red has stained a few strands. The blood comes dribbling down her forehead, right in the spot where the rock hit her from. Remembering that detail reminds me of Trevor, when he threw that rock at the Great Raven. Only this time the person hurt has a weapon to kill us all.

To kill me…

No one speaks for a good second as she stands there. The white fox near Hilda growls at her, but other than that we're all silent. Maybe from the shock of her sudden reappearance, or from something else. I know why I'm silent, but I can sense a different reason for everyone else. Hilda and the boy look at Victoria with a small sense of dark history between them. The other girl looks pale, watching her with a terrified tinge in her eyes.

And Victoria looks at all of us with anger.

The only way out is by hopping the fence, but Victoria could easily shoot any of us if we attempt to flee. We're so severely overpowered right now. If only there was a way out…

"How dare you take _it_ from me," she says, "give that _thing_ back to me now!"

Fear runs through my body again as Victoria approaches, but Hilda stands right in front of me to block her away.

"He's not a _thing_ Victoria!" Hilda shouts, "he's just another kid like us! What in the world are you doing with him!?"

Victoria scoffs bitterly and raises her shotgun slightly to Hilda's face.

"You still don't understand," she says, "none of you do. You never will. You don't know anything about that grotesque abomination you're protecting!"

Her words. It's just like before in the machine. The air heats up around me as she says that. Something is stirring in me. I can hear strange sirens in the distance now.

"V-Victoria, please stop this," I say, "I've already been shot. W-what more do you want from me?"

Her eyes flare-up.

"Don't you see!" she shouts, "how can someone who's been shot twice still be functioning normally like that! He's clearly not human! My theories were correct!"

"W-what in the world are you talking about?" Hilda says, "he's clearly a human! Just look at him!"

"You won't believe that for long," Victoria exclaims, "once it reveals itself from him, you'll never see that child the same way again. It will tear his soul apart, and then it will kill us all! I know this because it's already happened before. They're people like him all over this city just waiting to awake their spirits! I've seen it firsthand.! It ruined my life again after you destroyed my lab!"

"I-I can't believe that after all this time you're still mad about that!" someone says behind me.

"Just shut it!" Victoria says, "this is for your own good! I have to do this! AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME!"

Her shotgun whips up, pointed straight at my face. But before she can pull the trigger, Hilda rushes forward and blocks the way!

"VICTORIA, DON'T-" she shouts.

BOOM!

The last thing I remember before I blackout, is a fiery warmth encasing around my arms and the screams of everyone around me.


	12. Pretend to Forget

_**?/?/? - ? - ?**_

 _How could you do this to us?_

 _Betraying us like this, it destroys everything you stood for._

 _How could you after what we've been through together?_

 _You're no better than those monsters on the other side of the wall._

 _So was it worth it?_

 _Please tell me._

 _Was it worth it?_

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

 _It's dark again._

 _This has happened to me so many times before that I know I shouldn't care, but a part of me still freaks out whenever it happens. It's always just me, floating around in a darkness so deep and empty that it feels like the edge of the universe. Usually, there are visions during these times, but right not it's just black nothingness in front of me. Just a world of black and grey. Everything feels so hazy. I can barely process anything going on here. All I can do think to myself until the moment passes._

 _I don't know how I got here. All I can remember is that there was a warmth of something around me, then I arrived here. Although, I guess the correct term would be that I blacked out instead. Either way, I don't know that much. Did I just die from my wounds? It's a likely possibility. But, maybe something else happened? Maybe I'm not dead. Something tickles lightly on my face, which might prove I'm still alive. It's the first sign that I can still feel things, but what it is was is a mystery to me._

 _In the darkness, I can see figures start to move. When you've been in the void for so long, I guess you can eventually start to see shapes that inhabit it. You can see the edges of squares. The curves of ovals. The peaks of mountains. The shapes themselves are nothing special but put together in the dark void, they start to make vague things._

 _The smell of damp rain invades my nose until it's all I can smell anymore. The grass beneath me shifts and wavers with the wind. It's blowing hard against my face, heightening my senses even more. The air, it's electrifying, roaring in the sky with sheer power. So much so that the tiny hairs on my bodies start to tingle with uncertainty._

 _It feels like a storm is coming. All the signs point to it. Which means that everyone else can see that as well. Shoot. I better find shelter before lightning strikes me or something. Although the possibility of that happening was close to zero at this point. There were no trees nearby in the field. No metal to speak of either beside the rusty T.V someone threw out years ago. There was nothing to potentially hurt me out here._

 _Nothing terrifyingly huge thankfully._

 _I shiver as the chill makes its way down my body. Despite this jacket I'm wearing, the cold still entraps me. Why the heck is it so cold in here? It's not even December yet. At least I think? What month was it again? I can't remember._

 _Taking one last look at the field, I start to make my way back toward the forest_

 _I make my way through the woods with a slight shake in my legs, jumping over twigs and logs to get by. As I do this, I peer into the dark woods that subtly fade against the dark sky. Somehow I feel like I've been here before, but I can't remember how. In memory this place has no important name, but yet I think that it might be..._

 _The shrill winds interrupt my train of thought, making me shiver as I go along the hidden path. I don't know how other kids can venture into the woods so bravely, especially late at night. I think sometimes they even throw wicked bonfires deep in the woods where none of us dare go, where they tell each other gruesome stories about death and whatnot. I don't know why I think this, but somehow I feel like this is fact and that's the exact case for it. But why?_

 _Before I can complete that thought, I feel a slight drop of rainfall right onto my nose. Then another near my eye. Then it just starts to pour down. There's not even a warning to indicate what's happening, so I quickly flip on my hoodie and race my way toward a random building in the distance. I just have to make it to a shelter without getting soaked. But that idea is quickly shut down when I step into a puddle that's as deep as my entire leg._

 _I try to get out, but then I stumble back into an entire ocean full of water. Despite how cold it is, my head is burning right now. Why can't I remember? What even happened? It feels like there's a crack in my brain, threatening to spill out everything I hold dear. It's forcing the memories to come out. That's good, right? Why does it hurt then? Why…?_

 _"Someone, help…" I call out, "please…"_

 _In response, I see the fire start to circle the water. The rain above is ineffective at putting it out, so all I can do is just continue and watch it circle around and around until it gets even closer to me…_

 _My eyes widen as it starts to entrap me within its warmth. I barely have time to react before it forces me to my knees and starts to dig into my skin. It feels like claws, holding me stiffly in place. I struggle and kick against it, but nothing happens. I scream out, but nothing happens. I cry and cry, and nothing happens._

 _"Why is this happening to me?!" I scream, "I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!"_

 _The fire suddenly reacts, dropping me to the floor and rushing into the sky to form the remnants of a sort of creature. The wind is blinding, sending me flying to the floor. My eyes water from the intense air rushing against my face, but I force my eyes to open and see what this "thing" truly is for the first time._

 _An animalistic screech invades my ears, pulsating through the air like a bomb. The world feels funny. Everything is falling. I'm going to pass out again in the dark void, with the last thing I see is a bright bird-like light looking down on me. It's huge, towering over everything, watching me._

 _And then I see her..._

 _She stands there calmly, watching me collapse into the void, staring at me with an expressionless gaze. She wears a simple blue dress with white gloves, which wrinkle above the wrist. Her green eyes stare me down as I fall, seeming to almost taunt me in a way I can faintly remember. Her striking red hair blows softly in the wild breeze, glowing just as brightly as Hilda's did._

 _Only this isn't Hilda._

 _It's Ly-_

 _OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOO_

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

In a flash I started to get up, my sides hurting from intense pain. Everything is wrong. Something is happening. I don't even know what's happening. But I know I'm in danger. Something is about to happen, I can feel it all around me. I'm feeling way too much right now. I have to get out. I have to escape!

I have to…

Wait a second… Why is the ground under me so soft? Why does it feel like a pillow? My fingers traverse the strange object and squeeze it. It softens easily under my hands, like a feather almost…

I look down and see multiple pillows laid atop one another. Each one a different color than the last. The fabric, it feels so soft. But why does this worry me? Where in the world am I? I'm certain this isn't Victoria's abysmal lab where my life wasn't even considered anything to her. She wouldn't even give me the luxury to tell me the truth about her intentions. So where am I…? And this feeling in me, why do I feel… okay?

I slowly get up, confused and slightly unsettled by this strange feeling overtaking my body. I've never been so tense before, but somehow my body feels comfortable. Almost… relaxed in a way. I've never felt relaxed unless I was in Trevor's group. So why was I feeling this way? Who in the world gave me pillows? Where was I?

When my eyes finally focused on my surroundings, I became startled to see where I truly was. I was in a room. A small room of some sort. It was filled with… normal things that you put into normal rooms. There were some books on the floor. There was a nice wooden drawer by the side. There was a window right beside me, where a golden beam of sunlight was being cast. There was dust flying around everywhere…

And the sounds. Even from thin air it appeared that so many sounds were bouncing around me. They were everywhere inside some unknown location. I could hear it all. The moving wrinkles of the pillow beneath me. The flap of birds wing outside. The slight crack of acorns. Fading laughter of nearby school children. The rustling of leaves.

Why could I hear all these things? Where even was I?

I slowly got out of the bed I was propped up in and started to look around even more. Everything seemed normal at first glance. In fact, it all looked quite tame. It appeared to be just another room that didn't stand out. The thing that really stood out to me was some of the books on the nightstand labeled weirdly, but other than that the place looked calm itself.

I had to make sure though. Even though everything looked ordinary, I had to be sure that I was safe. So I looked around even more. I didn't go open any of the drawers since I didn't want to peek at anything if this was indeed someone's room, so I just overturned everything else I could find to give myself a sense of security. I looked under pillows and blankets. I opened up an empty closet to make sure there nothing was hiding inside. I even looked under the plugged-in lamp on the drawer.

There was nothing.

This must've been someone's bedroom then. That was the only explanation I had. But whose it was I didn't know. The only person who it could possibly belong to might be Hilda. However, I don't see her anywhere. Where could she be?

Still unconvinced about my situation, I started going through the books on the nightstand. They looked simple enough, but I had to be sure…

 _BAM!_

All of a sudden I went flying back into the wall, throwing the book across the room in an attempt to escape. I could practically feel the panic rising in my chest after witnessing the monstrosity before me. It was inside the book, waiting for me to open it before it annihilated me. I crawled into the corner shaking a bit, closing my eyes and hoping it wouldn't see me.

I waited for a few seconds, waiting for something to happen. But after a bit of time passed, I realized that I couldn't hear anything. Hesitantly, I opened my eyes and saw the book I threw across the room lying on the floor. Even from here, I could see that inside it was a drawn picture of something with huge teeth. Whatever it is was enough to make me react physically at the sight of it.

Making my way over to the book, I inspected the drawing a bit closer. The pencil lines showcasing the creature were a bit bent, and from the texture of the colors, I can only assume that it was made from crayons possibly. Besides the abnormally sharp teeth, the drawing didn't look threating at all.

"Well, that was kind of embarrassing," I thought silently.

I guess there isn't anything dangerous here, but what was all this? My curiosity heightened now, I started skimming through the rest of the book with incredible speed. Even with the pages flying as I kept turning, my eyes could somehow perfectly see each of the drawings. I could even read some of the words the person had written that would normally appear blurred.

"Marra. Woffs. Trolberg. Vittra. Elves…? Nisse. Trolls. Giants…? Forest Giants? Water Spirits. Weather Spirits…?"

There were a few things I knew in the book like Trolls, Weather Spirits, and Woffs. But everything else looked completely foreign to me, messing up my mind to a certain degree. It almost seemed like these creatures were from some sort of fantasy, but the list continued on and on with so many different types. So many different shapes and sizes. So many violent and passive. So many seeming unreal, yet there was all this stuff written here so casually…

Learning more about this world scares me a bit now.

I put the book away carefully before looking around one last time. My mind was telling me that nothing was troubling around us, so I guess this place isn't that dangerous. A slight sigh of relief exits my mouth, but as soon as that happens something numb and heavy appears on the side of my body.

I wince just the tiniest bit as my mind processes it, the feeling of dim pain in my chest. It's been so long since I've felt anything like this that I almost don't know how to respond to it. Most of the time I feel numb, or am just in full out screaming mode from intense pressure and visions. But this… felt like reality. It felt like it was right on my chest.

Maybe I was tired?

I shake my head awake. No, that wasn't it. My eyes were wide, still alert. My brain was buzzing with energy. It might've just been from my intense paranoia, but for some reason, I think that isn't the case. Everything feels different now that I think about it. My hearing, my sight. Even the smells around me intensified. Even with the door closed and windows shut, I could smell scented pine outside the room blowing seamlessly into the wind.

Something isn't right. I was shot in the stomach. Twice. How come the only result of those actions led to me feeling only slightly dimming pain? Something is truly wrong with me, but what it is may take some-

Click!

My body tensed up upon hearing something open.

I whirl around to see a girl standing by the now open door. It wasn't Hilda, but instead, a darker-skinned girl who wore a light blue jacket with an orange stripe. Her head was turned as she opened the door, barely noticing me at all. She looked like she was alone, but even from here I could tell that someone was right behind her. She was talking with someone, midway through her sentence. I could feel the presence of two people near her…

For some reason, the feeling of familiarity returned to me once I saw the girl. It was so strong this time, so impossibly strong that it somehow ripped through the fuzzy wall containing my amnesia and began to chant in my head.

That's Frida…

Whether the name belonged to the girl or not I didn't know, but it seemed to make the most sense that it was the case. The name fit her perfectly, shining above her head like a crown being fitted onto a true king. I should've said something immediately once that feeling clicked into place, but I ended up freezing once again. Just like with Trevor's group. It appears I still haven't learned anything from my previous mistakes…

It didn't matter if I said anything though. She saw me right away as soon as she finished her sentence.

When she saw me, her eyes went wide with shock, and they reflected back onto mine. We both stood silent, watching each other for any sign of movement. There was nothing, even with my senses I couldn't tell if she was going to move at all. It was more likely she was just going to stand there, probably processing how a twelve-year-old survived two shotgun blasts and was standing around in this room alive.

If seemed like an eternity we stood there, glancing at each other with awkward silence.

And then I noticed the others.

It seemed impossible to miss them, but there they were. Hilda, standing in the doorway now, along with the nervous boy from before. That's who the voice belonged to before. I couldn't quite tell what he looked like thanks to all of the chaos, but now I could see clearly that it was David.

How easy his name came to mind almost scared me. I didn't even know if that was really his name, but somehow I felt like that was the case.

For some reason, they were scared of me. I could tell because they were slightly backing away now, both fidgeting a bit in movement as if they're trying to process whether to run or stay. Despite the shocked looks from David and Frida, I couldn't quite tell why they were shocked, but I could just tell that they had an uncertain feeling rising in their chest. Their emotions reminded me quite well of the first time I arrived here.

Confused, shocked, scared…

Of course, Hilda didn't move at all. I couldn't detect anything from her. If anything, she looked more relieved of my presence then the others. She looked just like the same as before. The only thing that was different was that she didn't have her little hat anymore, but other than that she mostly remained the same.

Then there was this… small dog looking creature right next to them. That's the only real way I could describe it. The next best thing would be that it looked sort of like a fox. But it had small antlers on its head… which didn't make any sense to me. The antlers themselves looked sharp enough to actually cut through something. Although thankfully it wasn't baring its teeth at me or anything, so I guess it's actually nice.

We all stood there, processing what the other would do. Frida and David didn't even come close to me, but Hilda and the fox thing didn't move away. I stood just where I was, waiting for someone to do something. I felt like I was the one who was supposed to do something, but I was frozen, too surprised and confused to really say anything.

Unsurprisingly, it was Hilda who made the first move.

"Y-you're awake…" she said.

Well, that was true, I was very much awake, but I didn't need to repeat that. What I was more confused about was why she looked so relieved about that fact. The way she said that almost sounded like she hadn't expected me to wake up. Why was that?

We stay silent for a minute longer, which is a bit too long for comfort. I should be spilling out millions of questions to her, but somehow they all stay implanted inside my head. Hilda must realize this too because she finally takes one more step toward me. Despite how non-threating the gesture is, I still take a step back out of reflex.

"H-hey, it's okay," she says, "Victoria is far away from here, she's not going to hurt you anymore."

What she says is true. I can't sense any presence of danger in the room. I doubt Hilda or her friends would even intend to harm me at all, but I still have a weary feeling inside my gut that makes me take another step back toward the corner. I slowly fumbled with my pockets as I dd this, preparing something to respond with.

This was the first real conversation we have, and I'm already messing it up.

The more I think about it, the more I start to even wonder if she has any answers. I've only been chasing her because of a vision she was in, but was that all it really was?

"This might be a silly question to ask, but a-are you okay?" she asks, "nothing hurts right?"

The concern in her voice suddenly shakes me out of thought. She sounded genuinely worried for me, which is more then anyone else in this city could really say besides Trevor and his friends. In just one sentence she seemed to make my troubles drift away.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," I finally said.

The kid's eyes widen a bit after I say that.

"Your mum really is a miracle worker…" David says in awe, "he doesn't even have the burns anymore."

This slightly confused me, but I stay completely silent.

"I-I don't know," Frida says, "I don't think that's the reason why he looks so okay."

What were they talking about? All of their talking was starting to worry me.

To get their questions off of my mind, I asked one of my own before the reality could sink in.

"W-where am I?" I said, "w-what happened to me?"

The group looked hesitant to answer as their silence filled the room. Even the fox looking thing avoided my gaze when I looked at it as if it was somehow nervous. Why it would be was completely unknown to me, but I didn't care. I needed answers.

"Someone please tell me what's going on," I said, "I-I don't know what's even happening to me anymore. I'm just so lost at this point. And then… there's all this weird stuff going on, and I don't know what to do, and I'm-"

Suddenly, I can feel myself start to shake.

"H-hey, it's okay," Hilda said, "I know you're confused, but don't worry. We're going to help you find out what's going on."

Her response makes my heart stop.

"W-wait, so you have no idea what's happening to me?"

The kids go silent after that, confirming my worst fear in a couple of seconds. Even they have no idea what's going on, which means that the vision I had was completely useless.

"N-no, we don't," Hilda admitted, "but that's not to say we don't have some answers. They just might be a little… confusing for you…"

In all honesty, I'm ready to take anything at this point. As long as someone told me what was going on I was settled. But I still could feel myself growing concerned. They weren't telling me everything they knew, at least not yet. But I could feel like they were hiding things from me. I could just sense it from them. Maybe it was the other people that weren't in the room that was making me so nervous right now. I couldn't see them, but I could tell that something was coming this way. It seemed like three of them. Way too much for comfort. All I knew about was the existence of Hilda, Frida, and David. But now there were all these other things coming and-

"W-what happened!" someone says, "did the kid wake up?!"

Before I knew it, three other figures were suddenly standing there watching me as well.

 _BAM!_

Reality seemed to fall apart in just a single glance, but I could see it. Something huge was towering in the doorway, the others completely oblivious about its presence behind them. It was bigger than anything I've ever seen before in my life, almost effortlessly striking fear into my heart. Blood began to pour out of my nose, images shifted and blurred, glazed with a strange fiery hot light. The figure hovered over the group, its eyes at me with a deep electric gaze. Lighting crackled and whipped around its body, shooting out sparks of lies and death around it. The Earth itself shook to the core when it's presence was near. I stumbled back, eyes wide. It was actually approaching me now!

For the first time in a long while, I felt horrified.

"W-wait!" I stuttered pathetically, "s-stop! W-what are you?!"

It didn't listen, approaching me with death in its eyes. The electricity around it whirled into function, before shooting its white bolt straight at me!

"I-I SAID STOP!" I shouted.

I outstretched my arm to block the blow, hoping that it would be enough to save me.

"W-WAIT!"

But it didn't even matter.

The world returned to focus, and suddenly I found myself in the bedroom. My nose was bloody, my hand was outstretched. Everything was just like it was, except for the sudden shift in the room. It was even darker than before, and I noticed there were other people now…

The first thing I saw was a small bird hiding behind all the other kids, a raven to exact. Although it looked a little bit too big to be a raven. It was hiding behind David, slightly peaking out to look at me. I could tell it was shaking even from here. David himself was shaking in his boots, his eyes closed and covering his face with his hands in fear. He was sweating so much that it could've actually flooded the entire room. He was hiding right behind Frida, who was only slightly shaking in response. The little white fox thing from earlier was curled up into a small ball behind Hilda, shivering just a tiny bit with frightened eyes.

Hilda looked quite shaken up, but unlike everyone else, she wasn't shaking in fear. She still looked shocked, but not outright terrified. Everyone else though looked horrified for a second, as if a giant creature came smashing into the room.

But it wasn't a giant creature they were afraid of, it was me…

"I-I'm sorry…" I said, "I didn't mean to scream that…"

No one said a word though, instead they all just backed away slowly from my presence.

"Y-you di-didn't do the thing…" David stated.

The confusion started to develop within me. What was he talking about?

"What?" I said, "what thing?"

"Y-you know," he said, "the fire thing with your hands…"

My whole world seemed to stop functioning after that. What David just said, wasn't real right? He must've been joking… but the look everyone gave me stated otherwise. Was what he said true? But what did that mean?

"We don't want to freak him out David," Frida said.

"I-I know, b-but we can't just ignore what happened back at the alley," he replied.

"What happened back at the alley?" I said.

Everyone went quiet after that, causing a slight thread of dread to grow inside me.

"What are you guys talking about?" I said, "what happened back at the alley?"

More silence. More confusion. Something was roaring inside me now, although I had no idea what it was saying. I was only focused on the group in front of me. All of them were glancing at one another, wondering what to say. That was what was going on between them all. What they saw from me freaked them out enough to be this silent. But why?

Finally, to my surprise, the bird spoke first.

"You guys didn't tell him?" it said.

It was hard to keep myself from exploding with questions. Not only about myself, but the strange bird and fox as well. However, I quickly calmed down and forced myself to ask my next question.

"C-can someone please tell me what's going on?" I asked.

It must've taken years. It must've been centuries before finally Hilda stepped toward me.

"This is going to a bit hard to believe," she started, "but I promise everything I'm about to tell you is true. So… just try your best not to freak out too much."

And that's when she finally told me.

And that's when the truth finally came out.

And that's when I realized how screwed I was.

* * *

 **5 Hours Earlier**

"VICTORIA! DON'T-" Hilda cried.

But it was already too late. The trigger was pressed, the shot rang out, and the blinding flash from the barrel sent the bullet flying toward them. Hilda could see even from a distance the silver glint of the shell, rushing toward the group in untamed speed. She knew it would only be a matter of time before it hit someone.

Who it would hit though wasn't too hard for Hilda to guess. David and Frida were thankfully further behind her. Alfur and Twig were luckily too low for the bullet to even reach them. And despite Raven's best attempts to reach them, he was flying way too high in the sky. For the most part, none of them were in the range of the bullet.

Which meant the only other two people it could've hit at that point were just Hilda, and the unknown boy right in front of her.

She didn't even hesitate. Hilda quickly rushed right in front of the bullets range to protect the boy. Despite the threat of possible death, there was no way she could let him get shot again. Not after he protected her twice. Even if it costed her life, she had to at least further his life for as long as she could. Maybe then her friends can escape and help the boy instead. That was all she could hope for now.

She could hear her friends behind her screaming her name, but all she did in response was tightly closed her eyes and brace herself for the worst. She could hear the bullet approach. It felt like it took years for it to hit her. She held her breath and waited, expecting the horrid moment of her quick demise to come.

But that moment never did come. For instead, something much more puzzling appeared. The air around her began to boil with fire, causing her to open her eyes and see a bright light. At first she thought it was the bullet right in front of her, but then she heard the strange sound of rushing wind beside her. Only then for that sound to turn into a huge screech of power. This sound alone should've terrified her, but she resisted the temptation to move and bravely stood her ground.

Only she quickly realized how wrong she had that idea.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw fire. Scorching. Hot. Fire. Her eyes widened when she saw it. She had witnessed tons of fires before, but they were always confined in the small cozy space of her fireplace. This wasn't one of those small fires to curl up by with a nice cup of tea though. It was a huge whirlwind of intense flames, spreading through the air like an uncontained wildfire. And it was right next to her face. It was so close in fact that she could feel the boiling heat. The intense speed and force of the flames sent huge winds rushing past her, causing the fire to reach out in further distance. it shredded through the air like a tornado, shooting right into the direction of Victoria.

So many questions flooded through Hilda's mind in that one moment seeing the fire, but all of it vanished when she saw Victoria's eyes widen with terror. That simple expression proved to Hilda that whatever was happening was not normal. She had already guessed that the second she saw the flames beside her, but the fact that it had completely blindsided Victoria was what fully convinced her that something supernatural was occurring. And seeing the flames right next to her face gave Hilda the impression that it might've been even closer than she originally thought.

Hilda watched in shock as the flames rushed past her, destroying practically everything in its path. The trash bins were flung away like rag dolls. What remained of the windows were incinerated into dust. Even the bullet that was shot from Victoria's gun was melted onto the floor like paste. All of this finally culminating to Victoria, who frantically held up her hands in a pathetic attempt to shield herself from the blast.

BOOM!

The fire crashed violently into Victoria's chest, sending her flying into the air. For a few moments, Hilda watched as the flames enveloped around the once threating scientist, aggressively tearing away some bits of her clothes before blowing her harshly into the remnants of the once overflowing dumpster.

Hilda was completely speechless at what she just witnessed before her. When Raven warned her about Victoria's activity, she never expected anything like this to happen. Sure, being an adventurer meant partaking in dangerous situations, but she never thought of this. Bits of fire on the ground. Shattered bullets all over the floor. A shotgun lying broken next to her.

What was this? Hilda thought to herself.

Whatever it was completely embolized Victoria. Despite the huge bags softening Victoria's fall a little bit, Hilda could only guess how much pain the scientist was in due to her painful gasps. After all, getting hit by boiling flames must've been enough to cause some severe burns. In a way, Hilda actually felt a bit bad for her. But her sorrow wasn't enough to make her forgive all the terrible things she did. Now was not the time to worry about her. All she cared about at the moment was what occurred before her.

And that's when it happened.

A bright light flashed behind her once again, this time causing her to whirl around in confusion. She couldn't see what it was at first. It was way to bright to even process. But then her eyes adjusted. Somehow they adjusted to this blinding light.

And that's when she saw it. The most impossible thing, becoming possible, right before her eyes.

The boy whose name she hadn't even learned yet, somehow was on fire.

At first Hilda thought he was burning alive, but then she saw how pristine his skin looked despite the boiling flames around him. Unlike everyone else, he looked completely calm, not even appearing to notice the fire spreading out against his body. The fire around him that once looked so uncontrollable continued to flow around his body, acting like a sort of shield protecting him from harm. It was whirling around him like a secured cloak, whipping out little sparks as it continued its tornado like movement. His arms were completely engulfed in flames, stretched far enough to look like explosive wings about to take off.

It was such a bizarre sight that even Hilda herself couldn't say anything at first. That honor would go to David, who had taken about five hundred steps back along with Frida to avoid the fire.

"H-he's…" David stuttered, "he's actually…"

But he never was able to finish. No one else responded to David's statement, anyway, instead watching as the unknown boy whipped his hands slightly back as if to recall the flames. Sure enough, it quickly retreated into his arms, circling with little puffs of smoke before it vanished completely into him. The effects were almost instant. The boiling air morphed into a cold breeze. The smell of ash vanished into nothing.

And once all was done, the boy finally crashed onto the cold hard cement.

It was hard to understand what she saw. The fire. The boy. Everything going on at the moment confused her. But despite that, it didn't stop her from rushing over to his side the moment his face collided with the floor.

"H-hey!" Hilda said, trying to wake him, "h-hold on a second. D-don't pass out on us!"

To late. Hilda could already sense that the boy was out cold due to how limp he was. Thankfully, she could see that he was breathing, so he was actually ok for the most part. But after such a performance she couldn't tell what was going to happen to him. He was wounded, shot, injured. There was no telling how long he would last unless he got patched up.

"W-what just happened?" David nervously asked.

No one responded this time. Everyone was still calming down from the sudden shock of the situation.

"I-s he completely out of it?" David asked again.

"Of course he is!" Frida shouted, "how could he not be after doing something like that!"

Frida's sudden outburst traveled through to unheard ears, as Hilda was completely focused on the passed-out boy. He looked like a mess, his hair tangled, his clothes wrinkled, his face tired and sullen. She had only met him recently, but she could tell from just one look that he had been through a lot before they found him.

 _What happened to you?_ Hilda thought to herself.

Blood was pouring out of some of his wounds, causing his blue jacket to retain a crimson color. He needed help now more than ever. So, she quickly started trying to help the wounded boy up to his legs.

"W-wait! Hilda, don't pick him up too quickly," Alfur said, "he might faint again if he composes himself while standing."

"His wounds are much more serious than the possibility of him fainting again," Hilda replies, "he needs to go to a hospital right now."

"I know that," Alfur replies, "I just think we need to assess the situation first before we take a course of action."

"What are guys even talking about?" Raven suddenly said.

All eyes were suddenly on him now.

"Did you guys not see what he just did?" Raven said, "who in their right mind would treat something like that? He had actual fire coming out of his fingertips! If you put him in one of those hospitals they'll find out who he is and dissect him or something!"

Besides David who was slightly shaking at the mention of that, everyone else looked at him confused.

"Raven, have you been watching any conspiracy shows lately?" Frida asked.

"Wait, what?" O-of course not. It's just… that's what happens when ordinary people have things like this going on inside them. People get scared and they do some really bad things to try and understand it. That always happens."

Hilda noticed that Raven had a slight tinge of regret flicker across eyes after saying the last bit, as if somehow that was the case with other people before.

"Are you trying to suggest we should keep this between us only?" Alfur asks.

"Of course that's what I'm saying!" Raven answered, "remember when that kid found out I could talk and took me away to prove his friends he wasn't crazy. I almost drowned because of it. If it wasn't for you or Hilda I would've been dead in the river by now. We have to keep this between all of us."

A collective silence filled the group after Raven's words. Despite the seriousness of the boy's injuries, Hilda knew he was right. If anyone else found out what he could do, it would be like the dark hound all over again. Only this time the boy didn't have anyone else to help him escape the city if that happened. They were lucky to find him from Raven's instinct alone…

"Raven's right," Hilda said, "We keep this between all of us until we can find out what's going on."

Slowly but surely, the entire group agreed. Everyone except Frida.

"What you said is half right, but the authorities would have no idea about what he can do. They would just think he's a normal kid who got shot if we turned him in. They wouldn't find out his abilities unless they actually saw us-."

"They're about to find out soon…" someone said.

The group whirled around in shock to see Victoria Van Gale standing on her own two legs. She was propping herself up with the dumpster, her hand clutching her chest. Despite half of her coat being incinerated and some of her hair being burned away, she actually appeared to be fine, much to the dismay of Hilda.

"H-how are you still standing up?!" she cried.

Victoria flashed a grin, and quickly grabbed her coat and pulled it aside. To Hilda and the group's surprise, under it was a bulky vest complete with all types of fireproof material.

"Y-you knew beforehand of the boy's power?" Alfur asked.

"Precisely," she admitted, "I expected it to try an attack me after what I did. However, I foolishly miscalculated how powerful it really was. It truly is a force to reckon with."

Hilda looked back at the boy again. He looked exactly the same as before, except Hilda could sense a huge fiery force surrounding his aura now. What Victoria was saying was the truth, something was inside him.

"It doesn't matter now though," Victoria said coldly, "what really matters now is that you won't be helping that boy any time soon."

"W-what do you mean by that?" Frida said, "of course we're going to-"

Before Frida could even finish that sentence, a sudden blaring of police cars sounded in the distance, the lights quickly approaching the building.

"Looks like my time is up," Victoria remarked, "such a shame, I was so close to getting that thing in my grasp to…"

Suddenly, after she said that it all started to make sense for Hilda. Even with the police sirens behind her, her brain drowned out the noise easily. It all clicked seamlessly together. Victoria keeping the boy in that machine, torturing him… she was-

"Y-you we're trying to get that power for yourself?" she said.

"You caught on quickly Hilda," Victoria said, "it's a shame though that now it's all ruined once again by you. I was so close, and once again, you all ruined it…"

"Hey! You were trying to kill that kid!" Raven countered, "we had to intervene!"

"DON'T." she suddenly growled, "don't you dare talk as if you had some high and might reason to do what you did. Now, this city is doomed, and it'll be all your fault."

And then in a blink of an eye, Victoria suddenly rushed to the other side of the alley and flew over the fence.

"HEY, WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!" Raven shouted, readying himself to transform into his bigger form.

However, it was too late. Despite her age, she was actually quite fast on her feet, and before Hilda knew it, the crazy scientist had vanished from view. As this happened, the sounds of the police sirens grew even closer until it was practically near the building.

"She's already gone!" Frida said.

"W-what do we do now?" David said.

The fence was there only way out at that point.

"Follow me!" Hilda shouted, "we'll go to my house!"

As the police sirens blared behind them, the entire group quickly ran over to the other side of the alley and began climbing the fence. Raven flew right over it, while Twig with Alfur on him hopped over with ease. Then Hilda made her way over with Frida right by her side. And together, they pulled up both the passed-out boy and David who was fumbling his way behind to the top.

And then, once they landed on the other side with all of them together, they quickly high tailed it all the way over to Hilda's house, with a new concern plaguing them all.


	13. Lost Home

**_?/?/? - ? - ?_**

 _Do you think you're deserving then?_

 _I guess you do, now that you've arrived at this point. After so many years I thought you'd be different. But…_

 _I guess I was wrong about you._

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

I guess I have superpowers.

I'm just kidding, but I guess it's something like that. It's not really superpowers, but more like magic. Or maybe not even that. Maybe something worse like Victoria said. Just thinking it sends chills down my spine. How do I even have something like that? Why does thinking about it piss me off so much? If I was like, six or seven, I'd probably be ecstatic. But sadly, things aren't like that anymore, because I know what this means. And I don't want to say it. I really don't want to...

My gut instinct is to just run again. To somehow sneak out of the house and run into the woods or something. But my head is telling me that's a bad idea, so I just stand there, my anxiety building in my chest. Thousands of thoughts are going through my head, each of them reminding me of what I don't want to be. I just don't want to say it because it burns my heart to think about it. I just need to run. To find a place to hide. Somewhere no one can follow until I'm ready. But where?

I stare at Hilda. She just waits for me to say something, but I feel like my mouth is glued shut. I want to scream, or yell, or shout. But I just stare, and squirm, and almost cry. I feel tears prickle out of my eyes, but that can't happen. I don't want it to happen.

"C-can I please... use the bathroom?" I ask.

Before Hilda can even respond, I'm rushing out the door. Much to everyone's surprise of course, but I don't have time right now. I quickly open the first door I see and lock it. This is the bathroom. Thankfully it's the bathroom. There's a tub, and sink, and toilet. A cabinet which I guess has medicine in it. Is there anything in there to cure this thing I have? Nope. I doubt it. Instead, I just slide onto the floor and hold back tears.

Not only do I not belong in this world and caused that weird portal thing in the woods, but I also have deadly powers of something. Something I absolutely _don't_ want. Why the hell do I have this thing? Why is it me? Why the hell is it me of all people? I don't know. I don't have any answers.

Someone is knocking on the door, but I ignore opening it. It's so awful of me, but I can't focus on anyone right now but myself because my suspicions were confirmed. I do have something in me. And it's something that's going to get me killed...

Why do I have it?

 _Why?_

* * *

After turning the knob, the water starts to shoot out of the faucet.

I'm not sure what I expected really, but the initial spray of the liquid makes me flinch before I realize it's no harm to me. It starts to pour down the drain like a waterfall, producing little droplets that splash out toward me from intense impact. After the first burst rushes out of the sink for a bit, the force of the water calms down somewhat, retaining a constant stream of glistening liquid.

My eyes focus on the small stream that crashes into the porcelain sink. The light overhead allows the water to shimmer with tiny dots that stretch and shrink as it sloshes around. It reminds me of diamonds almost, or even stars that scatter across the sky. The droplets themselves through wobble and whine, the physical strains becoming too much for them to bear before it finally flattens itself, joining its brothers and sisters that are sent tumbling down into the abyss.

I can see all this, and I know I shouldn't be able to. My eyes, they don't feel like they're my own. Normally I wouldn't pay any mind to something as mundane as water, but now I can't help but notice the little details. The ripples, the dots. The sheer movement alone. It's because of that thing in me.

It's the same with my hearing too. The pouring liquid sounds like a roaring waterfall to me, yet I can still hear things outside the door as if they were being produced right next to me. I can hear the continuous blow of the air conditioning, the slight squeaks in the floorboards, the conversation Hilda and her friends are having about me on the other side of the door. All of it.

They're whispering to each other outside, although I can still hear them loud and clearly. It's not too hard to pinpoint what their conversation is about anyway, especially after what just happened today.

 _"So now that he knows, what should we do?"_ David whispers.

 _"Give him enough space until he's calm enough to talk to us,"_ Hilda responded, _"We shouldn't immediately put him on the spot after what happened."_

 _"I don't know how he would be able to calm down after all that,"_ David questions, _"If I was him, I'd honestly be panicking right now."_

David was right, I was panicking. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. The only reason I wasn't freaking out right now was so that I didn't concern them even more. They already had enough to worry about, one more thing might just do all of us in. Besides, they probably had no idea what was happening to me either. They were probably freaking out just as much as me. I had to keep reminding myself that they were still the same age as me, or at least somewhere close by it.

I back away from the door and stare into the mirror. I look like a total train wreck. It's been so long since I've actually seen myself, and now that I have, I'm not that surprised as to why people have been avoiding me in the city. My hair was a tangled mess. My face was riddled with dirt and bruises. The jacket I have was completely wrinkled and worn. Even the new clothes I got from Victoria's place didn't last that long, being covered in blood now after what happened before.

How long have I walked around like this? Ever since I fell off the wall of this city? Or maybe at the start, when I started falling from the sky? What if it was from before I came here? During a day long forgotten? Why can't I remember? No matter how hard I try, even if I strain myself to the brink, I can't remember anything.

 _Who even am I?_

Seeing myself causes my hands to shake.

Realizing this, I quickly start washing my face. My eyes begin to blur, and a crushing pain rises in my chest.

 _No. Please not now._

I quickly splash more water onto my face and then wipe it away. My breathing staggers a bit. The aching feeling in my heart isn't going away, but thankfully my eyes aren't tearing up right now. It's just my heart that hurts right now. Why? I don't know. I don't know anything right now. That's why I was counting on Hilda.

After I had that vision of her, I thought she might have some clue of what was happening to me. But now that I'm here, everything is even more confusing than before. I expected to feel a sense of relief when I found her, something at least that made me realize that I finally found an answer to the problems I've been wondering about for ages. But instead, I'm only left feeling empty. Empty and sad...

I look up again. The water has washed away all the sweat and dirt from my face. I ruffle up my hair a bit. It's not tangled anymore. It hangs off a bit in front with its spikey ends. It's messy, but it's a kind of messy that works. Like your hair was designed to be that way. It looks normal. I look normal. For the first time, I can look in the mirror and imagine myself as if I was a normal kid. A kid who would wake up and begrudgingly go to school. A kid who'd meet up with his friends at lunch and joke around about the stupidest things.

Just a normal kid.

But when I look in the mirror, someone else is standing there. It has my face and clothes, but there is someone else. Someone different. _Something_ different.

 _"You're something completely different from a human Eric…"_

That's what Victoria said.

That's the last thing I would want. Everything being messed up because of me and my… abnormalities.

I look at my hand. It glistens in the light from the water. It looks normal. But I know better now that nothing is ever just "normal" around here. So, I extend my hand up in the air and stretch my fingers out. I don't even know why I'm doing this, but I still strain them to produce something. Anything to just give me the confirmation I need. To show that there is something...

I wait, straining my hands to feel any sort of power or pressure that will release itself. It shakes, it's kind of hurts, but I stretch my fingers as wide as I can and wait for something to come out. Anything to come out…

Nothing comes out.

My hand drops. Nothing is ever going to happen, is it? I'm never going to see this "thing" for myself. All I'll ever know is that there is indeed something there, but I'll never get to see it. And everywhere I go people will stare at me, wondering when it's going to unleash so they can run away. And I'll never know what it is.

Maybe Victoria was right...

* * *

 **Hilda**

It was quiet in Hilda's house.

She hadn't realized it until she heard the faucet running in the bathroom, the sound slightly muffled through the door. Usually, there was always something going on in the house, no matter the time of day. Maybe a pleasant conversation with Alfur, a quick game of Dragon Panic with her mum. Now, it was as silent as the graveyard she went to with David and Frida.

She thought she had finally gotten used to the cramped apartment after the incident with that strange house, accepting it as her new home despite the desire to return to the wilderness. But now, the setting felt foreign to her again. A forest of concrete and stone that she was not welcome in. A world full of uncertainty staring her right in the eyes yet making no moves toward her. It was as if fate itself was carefully messing with her life upon a thin string. A string toyed with endlessly. And that silence was the very thing bringing her to the brink. But there was nothing she could do. She couldn't explore or escape or even try to solve the situation. They didn't even know any of the details about what was happening.

Despite the irritation of not knowing what was happening, she tried to ignore it. There wasn't much she could do anyway to better the situation anyway. Besides, her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts. Much darker thoughts then what she was used to.

Today she had almost been killed.

There was no other way around that fact. Today she had almost been shot by a former scientist who she once respected. Almost killed in an alley with no chance to ever say goodbye to her friends or family. Today that almost happened to her because she was trying to protect some kid she saw in a dream once.

She fidgeted with her hands at the thought of it. Somehow, even though it lasted a second, she remembered every detail about that moment. The shattering sound, the heatwave from the blast, and then the fire. That roaring explosive fire that snapped past her. It had been five hours since that had happened, but it felt like years to her.

After everything that happened before, Hilda had no idea if anyone would want to say anything about it. It had been a crazy few hours, and she was almost positive that the silence between everyone would stretch on for eternity.

But finally, after what felt like years, someone did speak up.

"Is he still in there?" Frida asked.

The world felt like it awoke with Frida's words. In reality, she had said the words normally, but to Hilda, it felt like a booming presence. that snapped her out of her thought. Her senses quickly returned, and she watched as Frida peeked over the couch to confirm if the boy was still inside. Hilda decided to look as well out of curiosity. She noticed the door was still shut tight, most likely locked to prevent them from checking on him.

"Looks like it," Hilda said, settling back down on the couch, "he might be in there for a while after what happened."

"Great," Frida said, turning back to the group, "so we can't even do anything."

"I doubt we could do much even if we did know what he was going through," David said, nervously looking down at his hands.

A sight tinge of fear invaded Hilda's heart. No matter what angle looked at it, she was worried that David might've been right. What if they couldn't do anything to help him? His situation was the most strange thing Hilda had ever seen before in all her days of exploring. And it didn't help that the entire week was muddled with confusing events like that portal from Friday.

"We could try and speculate with what we know so far," Alfur suggested, hopping onto the couch, "what do we know about him?"

"Well… we know he has a good understanding of magic," David said.

"If you could even call it that," Frida remarked.

"And he must be pretty powerful if Victoria wanted him," Raven said, "she tried to use that awful looking machine to extract something out of him."

Just the mention of the machine sent chills down her spine. She remembered hearing the boy screaming out in pain when it was turned on. The crackles of lighting. The burning flesh. In the hallway, his cries echoed hauntingly as they approached the room. Even when it was finally turned off, his body went completely limp from its effects on him.

"I always knew Victoria was a bit eccentric," Alfur said, "but I didn't think she was capable of doing all that."

"People are full of surprises I guess," Raven said.

"And what is this supposed to tell us exactly?" Frida asked, "we barely know anything about her involvement."

"It tells us that Victoria was desperate," Raven said, "and that she was willing to _kill_ if it came down to getting whatever is in that kid."

Everyone paused for a second when Raven said that, the reality sinking in about what could've happened if they didn't intervene.

"Victoria was never like that before," Alfur said, his voice saddened by the thought, "she always sounded so knowledgeable in her broadcast. What could've happened to lead such a person down that path?"

"I think she was really upset about her lab being destroyed," David suggested, "she did seem pretty steamed about it."

"No, that can't be it," Hilda said, remembering an encounter she had, "she talked about something regarding _after_ that event. Something that completely ruined her life. Her lab getting destroyed was just the starting point of what eventually happened to her."

"Then maybe it was that boy who caused it," David said, "after we blew up the lab, he met with her afterward and something happened between them."

"You really think they have some deep personal history?" Frida questioned.

"Well it's just speculation Frida," David said, "nothing is really confirmed until he tells us himself."

"So, we have nothing on him," Frida said, "we're just grasping at straws at this point."

Despite her pestering, she couldn't blame Frida for acting that way. A lot of scientifically impossible things had just occurred, and there was no explanation for it. Even Hilda herself could feel her unease growing. But she wasn't willing to drag the kid out of the bathroom and start slamming him with questions. That just wasn't her.

"When he's ready to talk he'll talk," Hilda said, "he just needs a little space."

"I'm sorry, but how much space does someone like him really need?" Frida asked, glancing at the bathroom door.

"I'd assume a lot after getting _shot_ _twice_ in the chest," Raven said.

"I know that, but it seems ridiculous," Frida said, "wouldn't he want to know what's happening as well?"

Hilda really did hope that was true. After what happened before, she was worried he might never talk to them again.

"We just have to wait," Alfur said, "nothing gets solved it we rush through this."

Despite Frida's obvious annoyance she begrudgingly slumped back against the couch and stared out of the window, watching the raindrops speed by. Hilda hadn't even noticed it was raining until she followed Frida's gaze. Back then, she used to rely on Victoria's broadcast to know what the day would bring. Now, even that was all in shambles.

She softly petted Twig, who snuggled next to her and offered a reassuring feeling of comfort in the cold room. He was always there for her, even in the most stressful of times. Even though her mum was out, she was thankful he was there. She wondered what he might've been thinking about this entire situation. If she could read minds then maybe, but she was never really into the whole superpower craze like other kids at school were. The best she could do was just guess like everyone else.

So she guessed that Twig was relieved right now. Relieved that Hilda was alive and sitting with him right now. A small part of her felt relieved too, knowing she got to live to see another day.

Maybe that was all that really mattered in the end.

* * *

 **Frida**

The sky was shrouded with grey.

It reminded her too much of the lab, where she all she could see was grey. Not even darkness, just a dusty worn-down grey that coated the entire area in an oppressive fog. She noticed the grey on the ceilings, the floor, the machines. Even the shotgun was tinted grey within its silver outline. All she could think about was the lab where she watched Hilda almost get shot.

She had been in dangerous situations before. The Tide Mice. The Ghost. The Dark Hound. None of them even came close to what they went through in that lab. Gunpowder flying. Heart pounding. Anticipating the next time the gun would flash. And then after all that there was the fire. It was a huge whirlwind of death. Something usually contained in the lighters and fireplaces around the city. Then they heard the police sirens. There was no doubt in her mind that by now that they were at the scene of the incident. `

What would they find there that could clue back to them?

Obviously, they'd be confused by the unrealistic state of the area. The boy in the bathroom had sprouted fire from his fingertips and practically destroyed the place. But what else could they find? A child's imprinted boot in the dust? A ripped piece of clothing that can be traced back to an address or store? A pool of blood that could be used for samples to identify a person. What if they tracked them that way?

What if they found out Frida was involved that way?

If her parents discovered that she had trespassed an abandoned property and was involved in a shooting? Lord have mercy on her soul. She could forget exploring with anyone. She wouldn't even be allowed to leave her room for the next fifty years at _least_. Actually, forget about punishment, they'd probably just kill her themselves for her stupidity.

She could almost _visualize_ the conversation they'd have. To find out that their daughter of all people was involved in something so dangerous.

The amount of trouble they could all get into was astronomical. They'd never be allowed to see each other ever again. So, she wondered why? Why were they treating the situation so lightly? As if rescuing that boy hadn't almost ruined their entire lives. What was the point of getting him? And if he is so important, what could he possibly have to make up for all of the trouble they'd soon get into?

Of course, she knew it was wrong to leave a boy in the hands of Victoria, especially after what she did to him. But this was something more. Something so dangerous that Raven somehow described it perfectly with just a few words.

If Victoria was willing to kill to get that boy, what else could be coming their way for him?

She started looking over to the dining room table to distract herself, as if anything else could take her mind off the event. Everything was cleared from there. All the plates, the glasses, the décor. All that was left was a bunch of medical supplies Johanna had brought out for that boy when they first arrived. She still remembered that moment very clearly.

They managed to carry his unconscious body over to Hilda's neighborhood and burst into the house. Everyone was freaking out when David opened the door to Hilda's house. Alfur was panicking. David was panicking. Even Hilda herself was in shock. The only one who looked even remotely calm was Raven, although Frida had guessed beforehand that he had been in this situation a thousand times.

When they walked in, there was a scream. Frida remembered jumping when she heard it. Everyone knew it was Johanna, who rushed over to the group and started freaking out herself. If Frida thought David was panicky, then she had never seen Johanna in action before. The poor woman barely had any time to catch her breath before practically hugging everyone and checking for bruises or wounds.

The second she saw the boy though, her moderately terrified expression completely broke. Frida had never seen Hilda's mom in a more mortified state, and it killed her to see Johanna be shoved into this situation. She watched as she quickly called the hospital for assistance, and this time Raven didn't stop her. They said they'd arrive soon, but then "soon" turned into an hour.

Despite her lack of medical knowledge, Frida helped Johanna in any way she could to at least clean the wound for when the doctors arrived. Alfur helped as well since he was the smartest person in the room. They obviously weren't trained surgeons, but they managed to at least get it bandaged and make sure there wasn't an infection. But even then, it seriously looked like the boy was going to die. His injuries were so severe at the time, and his white skin was getting even paler by the second.

During the time, Johanna was completely silent. She had a grave expression on her face, but she somehow kept working. She decided to go out to track down the hospital herself. She said she was going to drag them over here herself to help him. She was terrified to leave them alone, but she trusted them all with the responsibility that they could take care of themselves. Such a massive weight on their shoulders when Frida knew all that had happened before.

They hadn't informed Johanna yet about the circumstances regarding the boy. All Hilda told her was that the boy had been shot and that he needed help. Johanna didn't bother to press for further details, just knowing her daughter was safe was enough for her. She would find out soon though, she felt like everyone in the room knew that. Then what would happen?

All of Frida's life was filled with responsibilities. Everyone knew her as that one girl who always stuck to the rules, or as that one girl who _made_ all of the _annoying_ rules. She didn't mind it, she considered herself humble in that department. At least that's what she liked to tell herself. It was only when she met Hilda that she realized how vital that role was to her. The imperfections that were finally uncovered almost made her lose the only friendships she had. But now that was over. She thought she could finally move on with how flawed she was. She grew to accept it.

But now things have changed.

She knew he was going through this too. Just like them, he was confused. She knew that perfectly well. But she couldn't help herself. She wasn't going to lie and say it didn't bother her, because it did. It was unfair. Unfair to be put into such an awful position while that boy just sat there in the bathroom contemplating life. There were no answers, no reasons behind anything.

Suddenly she got up, startling everyone in the room.

"Woah, Frida what are you doing?" Hilda asked, blocking Frida's way before she could storm to the bathroom.

"I'm tired of this," she replied, "that boy is just sitting in there twiddling with his thumbs, and we're supposed to wait here and take it?"

"We just have to be patient Frida-" Alfur repeated.

"Patient?" Frida interrupted, "he has all the answers were looking for. About the fire. About Hilda's strange dream. And the huge freaking portal. I mean, how can you all be so calm about this?"

"The kid barely knows what's going on himself," Raven said.

"So that whole fire trick he did back at the alley didn't mean anything to you?" she countered, "or the fact that he _survived_ not one, but TWO shotgun bullets from point-blank range?"

"I don't think someone would be willing to talk after all _that_ stuff happened," David pointed out.

"Obviously not David," Frida said, "but he knows something. Something big enough to cause all this commotion. We can't just sit here until he _feels_ like talking to us. We need to understand what's happening here if he wants help."

"And we will," Hilda said, "for now though we just need to calm down and think this all through."

That might've been true, but somehow all Frida could think of was the sound of gunshots ringing throughout the air.

"I'm the only one thinking this through," Frida said, "this isn't one of your little forest adventures anymore Hilda. It's something much worse, something right under our nose."

"You don't think I know that?" Hilda said, "of course I want to know what's going on too, but something like this always comes at a price."

Suddenly, it was like she was back in the lab. Hilda's home vanished beneath and transformed into that shriveling mess called a building. All she could focus on was the swarm of grey around her. The grey sky. The grey pillows. The grey shotgun. Each layer of grey began to tower onto one another like the ocean.

"I can't believe this! I thought you of all people would be the most distressed about this!" Frida shouted.

It was an instant. A tiny flicker of red in a sea of grey. She had never acted this way before, but the situation was unique given its circumstances. She needed to know, and now it felt like everything was getting drowned out. She could barely notice everyone except Hilda.

"Of course I am Frida, but getting angry at us won't solve anything," Hilda said calmly.

"Are you kidding me?" Frida said, a little hurt by the words, "you really think I'm mad at you? That couldn't be further from the truth."

"So it's him then?" Hilda said, staring at her.

"Of course it is Hilda!" Frida blurted out, "do you remember how you almost died today helping him?! You could've died in that alley with us as the only witnesses. Did you think about that? How we all almost saw you die there!?"

In the heat of the moment, she felt for certain she was right. She was always right, even if it was annoying for others to admit it. She was right on every test. Right on every question. And she was right about this too. She had to be. Hilda had to admit it.

But then suddenly Hilda's face turned red.

"He practically died helping me too!" Hilda countered, "do you remember all that!? How he jumped in front of me to block one of the bullets?! Or helped me and Twig escape from that room before Victoria found us?! Or even when he made that weird fire thing to disarm her before she caused any more damage! Do you remember all that?!"

Everyone was completely silent now.

Hilda's words stretched out for a long time, echoing in the small space. Outside, Frida didn't move, but something changed inside her. She had somehow forgotten about it. In the chaos with the fire, she had forgotten _that_ very fire saved Hilda's life. Possibly all of their lives since Victoria's gun was destroyed in the aftermath.

Frida stared at Hilda, and Hilda stared right back. She knew Hilda wouldn't do anything, and Frida knew she wouldn't either. She would never go that far again. But she couldn't understand her. She thought she had Hilda all figured out now, but some things never really did change.

Just like her.

"Guys… I think maybe we could… calm down?" David suggested, "maybe we could… get some drinks? Like water… or juice or… something…? I think maybe that could… help us out a bit?"

 _Click!_

* * *

 **Hilda**

Her heart had stopped from the sound.

Not literally of course, but for her everything else immediately seemed to freeze in place. She was so caught up in the argument that she almost didn't notice it. The keyword there being _almost_. She still found herself watching the bathroom door slowly open. It was the strange boy, who sheepishly stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind him, staring at the group with nervous eyes.

"Um… hello again…" was all he said, fidgeting a bit with his jacket.

There were billions of things she wanted to ask him, yet she knew she couldn't. His eyes looked weary. His posture was somewhat rigid. With his current state, she wasn't even sure he could get through an introduction.

"Are you okay?" Hilda asked, remembering his initial escape to the bathroom.

"I'm fine now... thank you..." he said, looking down at his hands.

Unsurprisingly, Frida made the first move toward the boy, quickly moving past Hilda to confront him.

"There you are," Frida said, approaching him quickly, "would you care to explain what took you so long?"

"I… just kind of… was in there… you know?" the boy answered, his voice five times smaller than before.

"Right…" Frida said, unenthused by the words, "so are you ready to talk now?"

"I-I…" he started, "I-I don't know what's…"

The last few words dropped to a mere whisper. She couldn't look at him like this anymore.

"Frida, he's nervous," Hilda said, stepping next to Frida, "how about we give him a little space?"

Frida looked at her, but there was no anger behind her gaze. More of a plea to know, to find out what was happening. It was a plea that she understood yet know she couldn't do. So, despite her reluctance, she finally stepped back a bit into the group while keeping her eyes focused onto the boy.

"I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to-" he started to say.

"You don't need to apologize," Hilda said, "everything is fine."

The boy had grown quiet now, staring at the group.

"Did I interrupt something… when I come in…?" the boy asked, backing away a bit.

"Of course not," Hilda said, ignoring the conversation from earlier, "did you find everything all right?"

"Yeah…" he said, "thanks for letting me clean up."

Looking at him now, he looked so much better than how he did previously. Except for the clothes of course. He still had on that bloody jacket for some reason, the faded blue contrasting greatly with the dried crimson.

"Uh… is there anyone else here…?" he asked, looking at the group behind her.

"If you mean anyone _dangerous_ then no," Hilda said, "you're completely safe with us."

The boy seemed to relax a bit after hearing that, quickly letting go of his rigid stance.

"That's good… I wasn't sure before," he said.

Noticing the change in behavior, Hilda decided to approach the boy. He didn't flinch or back away when she got closer, instead, he just stood there, observing her.

Hilda began observing the boy as well. In terms of looks, he appeared pretty average, almost pathetically so. The only thing that really stood out about him was the faint scar on his neck and his bloody clothes. Other than that, he looked like any other kid in the city. Spikey black hair. White skin. A small round nose just like her own. Nothing unusual about him at all.

Yet she knew there was something off about him. She could practically see something near him, readying to attack at any second.

"You said your name was Hilda right?" the boy asked, snapping her out of her concentration.

"Yep," she confirmed, "and what about you? We never really got your name before."

"Oh yeah…" he said, glancing away awkwardly, "it's um…"

The boy breathed in deeply and managed to stutter out a sentence.

"It's… Eric…" he said, "Eric Lyons to be specific…"

 _Eric._

Even his name sounded normal, but it seemed to match him perfectly.

Hilda quickly thought back to anytime she ever heard that name during her short time in Trolberg. She had never heard the name before in her school, nor anywhere else in the city. In fact, there was only one other person in the city whose name came close to his.

"Like Erik Alhberg!" David said, beating Hilda to the realization, "I knew it sounded familiar."

"Except his name is spelled with a _k_ at the end," Frida pointed out.

"I don't know who that is," Eric said, looking a bit anxious, "is he like… an important guy?"

"Just the leader of the safety patrol in this city," Hilda said, "you don't need to worry about him right now."

Eric looked confused but didn't say anything more about the subject.

"So, your name is Eric?" David asked.

"Yeah," he admitted, "It's… really nice to meet you."

Eric's attention was now turned toward Hilda's only two human friends, who stood nearby the end of the corridor staring at the boy suspiciously. Well, only Frida was doing that. David was trying his best to not immediately back away at the sight of him.

"You must be David…" Eric said, "Uh… I'm really… _really_ sorry about scaring you earlier."

"It's fine," David said, managing to contain his composure, "It's nice to get to know you under normal circumstances now."

"You to," Eric said, raising his hand to shake it.

Everyone instinctively flinched before realizing that no flames produced from the boy's palms. Eric himself quickly realized his mistake and shoved his hands back into his pockets.

"Oh yeah… sorry," he said, "I-I kind of forgot about that…"

"I-It's fine," David managed to say, "It's fine, you're totally fine."

It took Hilda a second to realize that David was mostly talking to himself at that moment, attempting to keep his calm after the slight shock.

"I'm really sorry," Eric said again, "I didn't mean-"

"N-no, it's okay… I just wasn't prepared," David said, still shaken up, "It's kind of weird knowing… you have that fire thing… but it's okay…"

"Not to mention that _healing_ thing," Frida interrupted.

Everyone's attention quickly turned his attention toward Frida, who stood there with an unphased look in her eyes.

"Um… are you Frida?" Eric asked.

"How do you know our names if we didn't tell you what they were?" Frida asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"… I-I heard someone yell your name back in the lab…" Eric quickly said.

"You don't need to remind me," Frida said, her hands clutching her jacket.

"Oh… yeah," he said, looking slightly embarrassed, "it's… nice to meet you."

Despite his attempt at peace, Frida said nothing more.

Suddenly, Hilda felt like the boy was moving away from her. His skin had turn cold, and now his body was tensing up again.

"W-what is that?" Eric asked.

Hilda looked below her to find Twig inserting himself in between Eric and her. He usually did that when someone new approached her, but this time Twig wasn't baring his teeth at him. Instead, he was contently observing the boy, making no aggressive movements toward him.

"Oh, Eric this is Twig," Hilda said, lifting him up for the boy to see, "he's my pet deer fox."

"Is that like… a cross between a deer and a fox?" he asked.

"Something like that," David said, confirming Eric's suspicion.

"Are those antlers on his head?" Eric asked, moving in a bit closer to get a look at them.

"Yep," Hilda said, "but they're pretty sharp, so you probably shouldn't get to close."

"…Noted," Eric said, backing away.

"You shouldn't be too scared," Hilda said, "he's actually really friendly. Isn't that right Twig?"

In response, the little deer fox licked Hilda on the nose, causing her to giggle.

"Uh, yeah," Eric said, "well, it's nice to meet you Twig."

Once Twig was set down, he remained next to Hilda, watching the boy closely.

Eric's eyes finally landed on Raven, where his expression morphed into a strange mixture of emotions. From what Hilda could pick up, it was mostly between confusion and surprise.

"Um, sorry if this wrong... but... you talk right?" Eric said, "I don't know really remember..."

"Sure I talk," Raven said, "hopefully that's not too offputting or anything."

Surprisingly, Eric looked somewhat unphased by that fact, although Hilda did notice him glancing between her and Raven.

"N-no…" the boy suddenly said, "somehow… this is… the least confusing thing I've seen all day…"

"The _least_?" Alfur asked, "how so exactly?"

Now Eric's eyes had widened.

"D-did anyone else hear that?" he asked, "Or am I finally going crazy?"

While his words seemed confusing at first, it didn't take long for Hilda to realize her mistake. Eric, despite his terrifying abilities, hadn't signed the paperwork to see Alfur yet. No species could until they did.

"Oh! Silly me, we completely forgot to tell you," Alfur said, coming to the same conclusion as Hilda, "you might not know this, but I'm an elf, so you won't be able to see me until you've signed the proper paperwork."

For what seemed like the fifteenth time today, Eric went completely silent. Possibly from both confusion and fear.

"W-what? I have to sign some paperwork to see someone?" Eric asked.

"It's not much at all," Alfur said, "you only need to sign a few documents and you're good to go!"

Hilda expected Eric to faint or stumble back into the bathroom, but he didn't move a muscle.

"What's your name?" Eric asked.

"Why it's Alfur," he responded, "it's a pleasure to meet you Eric."

Eric was silent for a bit, looking down at his hands. They were slightly shaking now, but he didn't seem to notice. He was staring past them, somewhere else. It was an expression so common that Hilda was able to spot it from a mile away. She even found herself doing it sometimes. But those only happened in school when class was too dull for her. This was something else. A different kind of look that only happened to certain people.

He was looking back on something.

Something long before.

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

Victoria tried to kill me, but during the chase, I remember three things happening.

The first thing I can think of was that the machine was turned off by some invisible force. I didn't see any sort of hand or person by the control panel, it just seemed to move by itself. Then there was the second thing, where during the initial confrontation, Victoria's gun seemed to jerk up into the air when she fired her shotgun at us. It was like someone intercepted the shot by grabbing the gun and pointing it away from us. And then that led to Victoria hitting something, but it looked like she was just trying to swat a fly. At least, that's what I saw. But Hilda screamed someone's name.

That name was Alfur.

I can't see him, but he was there. Helping _me_. And Frida and David helped as well. They helped me by opening the door so we could rush out of the room before Victoria could shoot us. And Twig helped me by pushing me and Hilda out of the way of the bullets. And then there was Raven. Or rather, the Great Raven. The same entity that this city worships and Trevor almost killed. I knew he seemed familiar, but it wasn't until he actually spoke that I realized who he was. His ability to fly and speak must've meant he relayed information to Hilda about my capture. The god of this city actually helped me to...

And then there was Hilda. Who sprung to action when she heard I was in trouble. Who risked her life to save me, and literally jumped in front of a shotgun blast to keep me from harm...

They all helped me when no one else did. Even in such an awful situation. They all helped me…

I can feel tears start to well up in my eyes, but I don't cry. Instead, I hide them away, so Hilda and her friends don't have the chance to see them. Compared to me, they've been through much worse. And yet I'm complaining. I'm the one acting like I've been through hell. Instead of actually trying, all I did was run.

Run from the adults. Run from Trevor. Run from Claire. Run from Victoria.

I tried to run away instead of act, and where did that get me?

"Are you okay Eric?" Alfur asks me.

I can't see the… elf… but he must be standing on Raven's wing. Even after getting hit with a shotgun, he's asking me if _I'm_ okay. My heart begins to pound remembering what happened. How old are these people? Hilda might be my age, but again, I really don't know. Yet they saved me. And what did I do?

"I-I just…" I choke out, "t-thank you… so much…"

Everyone goes silent. Even the rain outside has slowed down to let my words echo around the house.

"I-I just can't believe you guys came for me," I continue, feeling the need to clarify myself, "you had so much more to worry about, but you saved someone like me. And that… that just means so much to me because..."

No one even dares to move now, but I pay no mind to it. All I can think about is what Claire said. And what Claire showed me. And what Victoria said. And what Hilda told me. And all I can think about are the adults of the city shunning me because of what happened that day. Everything that happened on Friday because of me...

My voice lowers. I feel like I might start to cry, and I don't want to. Especially in front of them. But I continue because now I know...

"I'm the one who caused the portal," I say, "I'm the one who doesn't belong here."

It feels like everyone in the room has stopped breathing from my answer.

"What are you talking about?" Frida asks, "are you saying you caused that?"

"Not specifically," Eric said, "but I have a feeling I have some involvement with it..."

I feel my brain tingling. The sensation is familiar to me. It's the same feeling I get whenever my head starts to burst out in pain and show me a new vision or memory or whatever. But right now, nothing is happening. All I can feel is Hilda's hand slide into my own. It's the only thing that keeps me from falling apart right then and there.

"Eric, we want to help you," she says, "if you tell us everything from the beginning, maybe we can clue some things in about what might've happened."

Her eyes are determined, her stance is confident. She wants to find out what's going on just as badly as I do, and yet I've been holding back. Is it because there's a part of me that doesn't want to know?

Maybe...

But then I see her friends standing there, and just like with Trevor, I feel an odd sense of comfort being near them. They risked their lives to save me, so...

I have to try, at least for my parents. For now, I'll stay, and I'm going to figure this out with them. I'm going to find the truth.

And I'm going to go home.

"Okay..." I say.

* * *

 **So... about this coming out in November...**

 **Yeah, this one is on me. Obviously I intended to post this chapter earlier. But the pieces just didn't seem to fit. And then I kept fiddling with dialogue, which I'm still unsure I did right. And then I kind of fell out of Hilda. And then something very tragic happened in my family and I had to attend my services to that. And school has been such a pain and UGH!**

 **Obviously, I didn't want to be gone for this long, but thankfully I'm back. I have two other chapters written after this, and if I'm not stupid I should be able to publish those in quick succession after this one. To everyone who has stuck by this story so far, thank you so much for being patient. I hope this chapter at least is worth the wait, and if it's not... I hope the other to at least will. Thank you guys so much for following my story. And even though I'm _LITERALLY_ three months late, Happy New Year everyone! I promise this story should have quicker updates now, I'm excited to continue this story.**

 **With Love, FluffyTail**


	14. Elusive

**_?/?/? - ? - ?_**

 _There's no point in anything is there?_

 _They all know now. They're coming. They're coming for me._

 _What's the point if they know…?_

 _What's the point?_

* * *

 **Trevor**

"So, let me see if I got this straight," Henry started, "you guys met some kid. Hung out with him for a bit. And then he got, like a seizure or something. Then he started mumbling about that Hilda girl. And then he left his diary behind, and there were some entries about how he was apparently from another dimension?"

Trevor paused for a moment when he realized how crazy the whole thing sounded, especially after hearing it from Henry's confused tone.

"I know it sounds insane, but yes," Trevor confirmed.

"Correction, it _is_ insane," B. said, popping up right behind Trevor.

Trevor pushed B. out of the way and continued with his call, ignoring the giggles coming from her.

"Guys, can you just let me speak?" Trevor asked, a clear sign of annoyance on his face.

B. pretended to zip her lips closed and throw away the key, causing a few giggles from Mike.

"So, what do you think about it?" Trevor asked.

"About what part exactly?' Henry questioned.

"I don't know, how about _EVERYTHING_?!" Trevor said, flailing his arms about.

"Trevor, I'm literally stuck in bed with a full-blown case of the measles," Henry said unenthusiastically, "and you're calling me because you need help understanding the writings of some kid I don't care about?"

"You may not care about it, but I do!" Trevor yelled, "I mean, what's all of this stuff in the book he's talking about? Visions? Memories being erased? What's all that about?! And he said he had a dream about Hilda, so we _KNOW_ he was looking for her before he bumped into us. So for what reason?"

"Maybe we shouldn't give it too much thought," Mike suggested, "besides, after what happened last year- "

" _Don't_ even start on that again Mike!" Trevor shouted, "it's not important right now. Eric is missing, and we don't know where he is. He could be in serious trouble!"

Everyone burst out laughing, with Mike quickly following in pursuit despite not knowing what they were laughing about.

"What's so funny?" Trevor asked.

"I think I spot someone who cares a little bit _too_ much about their boyfriend Eric," B. joked, causing Henry to laugh over the phone.

Trevor wasn't fazed by the joke, instead whirling around at his friends in disgust.

"Ew! What is wrong with you guys?" Trevor said, "I'm just worried about him? Is that so weird?"

"I don't know," B. said, "you were _really_ eager to show him around the city today. Maybe that's a plausible cause for a reaction."

"So? does it really matter?" Trevor asked, "I mean, if this notebook isn't complete baloney like you guys say it is, then that means Eric is involved in some very abnormal stuff here."

B. rolled her eyes in response.

"We're just trying to help you see reality Trevor," B. said, "there's no reason to be worried over something like this. It's just a kid's diary, who obviously has a very overactive imagination."

"First of all, it's not a diary. It's his notebook," Trevor commented, "secondly, we're also kid's genius, and kids don't act like paranoid lunatics over the smallest things."

Mike coughed quietly into his sleeve after Trevor said that, causing a disapproving glare from him.

"And finally," Trevor continued, "don't you think it's weird that this new kid comes along after what happened last Friday? Especially a kid who knows so little about Trolberg?"

"Maybe it's a coincidence?" Henry suggested over the phone.

"Or maybe it's not," Trevor said, "what if it's related somehow?"

"Give it a break Trevor," Mike said, "so what if Eric's from a parallel universe or something. It's really not our problem."

"But it is," Trevor countered, "this is something that's actually serious! God, why won't any of you listen to me!?"

"Because it's stupid," B. said, "Is that what you want us to say?"

"And what if it's true?" Trevor questioned.

"Well, I'll put it this way," B. said, "the day I find out a kid comes from another dimension is the day I eat my socks for breakfast."

Trevor's heart pounded as B. and Mike laughed. None of them were listening to him. They never did, it was always the same. He was trying to convince them of the impossible, but they just didn't believe him. Didn't they know something was off about all of this? Maybe they didn't care, but Trevor did. He _wanted_ to know what was happening. For once, he _wanted_ to know something. But it seemed like he would never find out.

And then that's when the most bizarre thing transpired.

First, there was the air. The chill temperature skyrocketed into what felt like boiling magma for the boy. Before he could even process the sudden change, something _huge_ slammed right into him, causing him to collapse right onto the ground. He felt his phone and Eric's notebook leave his grasp, and a stinging pain took over the feeling instead.

Someone had just shoved him onto the ground, or at the very least accidentally slammed into him.

"Who did that?!" B. shouted into the crowd, immediately looking for the culprit.

Trevor didn't know exactly who it was, but after glancing around he saw her. It was a woman, someone who looked to be in her twenties. He didn't get that close of a look, but she was wearing something bright, and her hair was in a _weird_ style. That was all he could process about her before she dissipated into the crowd.

Now the initial heatwave had vanished, and Trevor was left shaking on the cold sidewalk.

"Dang! Are you okay?" Mike asked, helping him up.

"I'm fine…" Trevor said, rubbing his shoulder, "jeez that stings…"

"Man, that lady almost rammed into you!" Mike said, picking up the notebook that Trevor dropped and handing it to him.

"Wow, great observation Mike," B. said, "we totally didn't notice or anything."

Mike rolled his eyes at her as he picked up Trevor's cap and handed it to him. It was nice to know they at least had his back over minor things, even if it was over something stupid.

As he was dusting himself off, Trevor noticed his phone laying across the ground.

He attempted to grab it when suddenly a massive hand blocked his way.

When he looked up, a gasp quickly escaped him. Next to the kids was a large man, who appeared to be somewhere in his mid-twenties. He was wearing a slightly modified safety patrol uniform, coated all black. He almost looked like a superhero, except this man didn't wear a mask. His face was visible for all those to see, with only his large hat blocking his rough-looking features. He was much taller than any of the kids, having to crouch down to even meet their eye level.

He held onto Trevor's phone, looking at the kids with a casual expression. With how big his hands looked, Trevor was surprised he didn't break it right away.

"Are you okay kid?" he asked, "I saw that lady run into you. That looked like it stung."

"It did… but I'm fine," Trevor answered, staring at the dangerous-looking crossbow hanging on the man's back.

"Well, if you say so," the man said, putting Trevor's phone back into his hands.

The man stood up now, practically towering over the kids. Trevor hated to admit it, but he was a bit frightened of him. Mostly because of the number of weapons he carried. And his expression was one Trevor had seen somewhere before. Like a man on a mission…

"Um… w-who are you?" Mike asked, "are you new here?

"Nope, I've been a long time resident," the man said, "just someone you don't really pay attention to that often."

"You're tall, wearing armor and an awesome looking cape," B. pointed out, "I mean how could you not be someone important?"

"The city doesn't see it that way," he said, "but I appreciate the compliment."

"No problem… sir?" B. said, hovering on the last word.

"You can just call me Yvette," he said.

He looked back at Trevor and eyed down the notebook he was holding.

"That book looks familiar," he said, approaching him slowly, "do you mind if I ask who it belongs to?"

"O-oh, this belongs to one of my friends," he answered, "it's… a sketchbook..."

"Interesting," he said, staring at Trevor, "well… you should probably get that back to him."

Trevor nodded in response.

"It was nice meeting you Yvette," he said.

"Nice meeting you too," he replied, tipping his hat, "stay safe out there kids."

The man quickly walked away, making his way into the crowd and vanishing entirely.

"Did you see the weapons he had on his back!" Mike said, "it almost looked like he was hunting for something."

"Probably that thing from the portal," B. said, "everyone's gunning for it now."

Trevor rolled his eyes at his friend's conversation, quickly returning to his call with Henry.

"Henry? Are you still there?" he asked.

"Yeah I am, I think you disconnected from me for a second," Henry said, "there was all this weird static."

"It's because his phone fell," B. explained, "some jerk ran into him."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense…" he replied, quickly coughing right after.

"We met some guy right after," Mike said, "he said his name was Yvette and he looked so awesome! He had all these different weapons and a cool looking cape!"

"I think I've heard of him before," Henry said, "there was something on the news saying he quit the Safety Patrol or something after being with them for ten years."

"Well, those guys are morons, so I'm not surprised he left," B. said.

"But why would he go rogue?" Mike asked.

"I don't know," Henry said, "it was a few months ago, so it doesn't really matter now."

But a small part of Trevor felt like it did. Because something during Yvette's conversation frightened Trevor to the very core. He knew his friends wouldn't help him. So he needed to act alone from now on. And if he didn't act soon, he felt something even _worse_ would happen.

He needed to get a piece of the action this time...

* * *

 **Jasmine Sawyer**

This was worse. _Much_ worse.

When she got the call, she almost couldn't believe it at first. Gunshots? In Trolberg of all places? It had to be a joke. The city had one of the lowest crime rates in the entire region. The only things police had to even remotely worry about were petty thefts from whiney teenagers. To go from that to a shooting sounded absurd.

It wasn't until her unit arrived at the area that she realized how wrong she had been.

The first thing that hit her was the smell. The building in question reeked of a raw acrid scent, the smell thick and festering like a slaughterhouse. This fact came with millions of questions that swarmed her mind. Was someone injured? Who was involved? Why did they do it? How did they obtain a gun? Why would they use said gun? And why use it in the middle of the day in Trolberg of all places?

Well, she actually did know the answer to a few of those questions. Specifically regarding the suspect. The caller tipped off the police that she had seen a grey-haired woman hopping over the alley fence before running off. She said the woman looked a bit roughed up, but other than that she didn't see anything else. That was the only thing they knew. The only thing out of the millions of other things they didn't know. There were police officers in the city looking for the culprit, but any signs of results were severely lacking. The department never had to deal with something this extreme before, so the sudden occurrence of an event like this confused the entire force greatly.

Everyone around her was working feverishly on whatever task they were assigned to. Paul and his team were checking the inside of the building, taking notes of any strange items that could be found lying around. Maria was going around and collecting eye-witness testimonies from people who were near the area when the shooting took place. And then there was Jasmine, who was supposed to help her crew keep unwanted individuals out of the area. Despite knowing her task, she found herself quietly shuffling around the area instead, almost unsure of what to do in the presence of more experienced officers. Being the newest on the team would usually do that if nobody explained anything.

The number of people around the area surprised the newbie, causing her a great deal of distress trying to hold everyone back. Normally things like this wouldn't merit such a reaction from the public, but after what had happened last Friday, everyone was on edge. She did notice some familiar faces surrounding the fence, trying to peer into the scene of the crime. A few that stuck out were Julia Renay, Paul's wife, and local florist, who was talking to a police officer about the incident. Victor Mel, a troublesome teen who was getting yelled at for slouching against the barricade. Even Reid Merric was there, although someone was trying to pull him away from the scene as the boy excitedly waved at the officers. She desperately hoped that the boy hadn't seen too much to hurt that fragile mind of his.

Trying her best to ignore them, Jasmine turned back toward the house and watched as Paul descended the steps to meet her. He was a well-dressed man, with smooth brown hair and a tiny mustache. Considering how irritated he looked, Jasmine guessed his team had found nothing of importance inside the building. Nevertheless, she still decided to approach him.

"Did you find anything?" she asked, despite already knowing the answer.

"Nope, the entire first floor was clean," he responded, "I'm sending my men to check the other three."

Jasmine looked at the building again after he said that, wondering what secrets the place might've held for such a strange event to occur.

"What about you? Anyone causing trouble along the fence?" he asked politely.

"They've been nothing but compliant," Jasmine informed.

"Good," he said wearily, "maybe this time we can actually sort out the crime scene before the media get on our backs. I can already picture the interviews we'll have to give."

"Hopefully they'll leave you alone and bother Maria instead," she said, "she's more reliable than us anyway."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Paul said, quickly chuckling to himself.

Jasmine smiled along with him, but the small moment was immediately undercut by the sight of his fading laughter.

"You know, between this and that thing on Friday," Paul said, "I don't think we'll ever get a break."

"It's the only thing anyone talks about anymore isn't it?" Jasmine said.

"Yep, it sure is…" he confirmed, "what do you think could've caused this stupid scandal?"

The woman was silent for a minute, going over her thoughts carefully about the event. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but a small part of her believed it couldn't have been anything good.

"I don't know yet, but there's no reason to go jumping to conclusions until we find proper evidence," Jasmine said.

"We won't be finding it any time soon with the condition the woods are in," Paul muttered, "maybe one of those weird creatures are involved. They usually are."

Jasmine scoffed at the notion of it.

"No creature of that magnitude could even make it inside here," she said, "the wall is secure enough to prevent things like that from happening."

"Then maybe it broke it down?" Paul suggested, "honestly I wouldn't be surprised considering how the council is spending this city's money lately."

"There are people who tend to the wall every day Paul," Jasmine replied, "If they're doing their jobs correctly, then we shouldn't have a problem."

Paul laughed a bit, his face painted into a smirk of humor.

"If you really believe those people got their priorities straight," Paul started, "then you've been spending too much time putting too much faith into this city sweetheart."

"Maybe," Jasmine said, "but it's far better than panicking for no reason."

Before Paul could reply, his radio quickly snapped to life, crackling a static screech until he finally answered it with an annoyed sigh.

"What is it?" Paul asked, his attention turned away from Jasmine.

 _"Paul, we've found something big. There's some kind of lab on the top floor. We're going to secure the area, but we need you here right now."_

Now Jasmine was paying close attention, leaning near Paul to hear the conversation better.

"Jesus, a whole lab?" Paul said, "how big are we talking here?"

 _"The entire floor. And there are bullet holes in the walls so get the hell up here right now."_

Paul's face darkened as he turned off his radio, the silence stretching thin between the two adults.

"Gotta go, Jasmine," he said, "think you can keep the people at bay?"

"Sure thing," she replied, despite her curiosity consuming her.

"Good, I'll be back in a bit," Paul said, patting her shoulder and making his way over to the building.

Never in her life had Jasmine felt like abandoning her post before, but the news had almost convinced her to throw caution aside and race along with Paul to check out what they found. However, she remained stationed by the barricade. Paul would tell her what they found when they got back, he always did.

"Interesting... so there's a lab now…"

Jasmine's heart quickly slammed to a stop. That voice. She knew who it belonged to. The way he always pronounced his words always sounded sharp.

 _Of all the days to be here, why was it today?_ Jasmine thought, turning around to confirm her suspicion.

Standing next to the police barricade was none other than Yvette Grier, who was still wearing that stupid knockoff of a Safety Patrol uniform. The man didn't move from his spot, most likely knowing the consequences of crossing the barricade. But he didn't move away from it either, planting himself right next to Jasmine despite the uncomfortable setting.

"You're not supposed to cross the barricade unless you have clearance from a higher officer," Jasmine said, eyeing him again with an unimpressed stare.

Yvette was silent for a moment before retracting his hand. Jasmine hadn't even noticed he extended it for her to shake in the first place.

"It's a pleasure to see you too Jasmine," he said bluntly.

"You need to leave," Jasmine explained, "this is a highly classified investigation that you're _not_ invited to."

Despite this fact, Yvette still scanned the area with his eyes, scoffing a bit when he returned his gaze to Jasmine.

"It doesn't look so classified," Yvette said, "it seems you've invited all of Trolberg to come and investigate."

"They're certainly better than you are at it," Jasmine said.

He loomed over her easily, casting a tiny shadow on her face. Yet she didn't back down. Despite his dominating appearance, she knew he wouldn't try anything that broke the boundaries of the law. Everyone knew him as that one guy who strictly followed everything by the book, almost annoyingly to a tea.

"This is quite a situation you've got on your hands," he said, "it's a shame you didn't notify me first."

"You weren't needed," Jasmine said coldly.

Yvette chuckled, leaning away from the barricade.

"That's funny," Yvette said, "but I can tell you with certainty that this isn't a matter to be taken very lightly. With what's coming soon, you're going to need all the help you can get."

"You say that like you know what's going on," Jasmine accused.

Yvette looked into her eyes with a stoic expression, the same stupid kind that made Jasmine's cheeks heat up.

"I know enough," he replied, "but some factors are holding me back from reaching the truth."

"Then maybe it should stay that way," Jasmine said, "god forbid you got your hands on something useful for once."

"Oh really?" Yvette said, "well, I digress Jasmine..."

He quickly took out something in his pocket. A small shiny thing. It looked lumpy and disfigured, yet its shape reminded her of a bullet. It wasn't until Jasmine inspected it closely that she realized it _was_ a bullet. However, its appearance was slightly off. It looked like it had melted somehow.

"What is this?" Jasmine said.

"A piece from the crime scene," Yvette explained, "before you arrived, I decided to do a bit of investigating of my own."

"Then it's in your best interest to return that to us right now," Jasmine said, reaching out her hand to collect it.

Yvette said nothing, instead opting to silently roll the bullet in between his gloved fingers.

"You guys took seven minutes to arrive at the scene," Yvette said, "if you left right after the caller informed you, then it might've taken five."

"It's a situation that requires authorities immediate attention Yvette," Jasmine said, staring at the man coldly.

"Interesting," he said, "did you also know that at a high enough temperature, preferably near six-hundred degrees, a lead bullet will usually melt with little to no problem?"

"So? What does that prove?" Jasmine asked.

"Well you arrived here within seven minutes," Yvette explained, "and for a bullet's melting point to be _that_ high, well, it's safe to assume there isn't enough time for it to melt that fast before you arrived."

Yvette looked up at Jasmine and quickly tossed her the bullet.

"Maybe if it was hot out, it could be plausible for it to melt in that time," Yvette said, "but as you've noticed, it isn't particularly a sunny day here in Trolberg."

Suddenly, cold drops of rain began to fall onto the two adults, confirming Yvette's suspicion.

"Do you know what that means Jasmine?" he asked, staring into her eyes.

"Well, what do you think it means?" she asked.

"It means that there's something out there with enough power to _melt_ a bullet within mere seconds," he clarified, "something... that is within these very walls."

In her head, all Jasmine wanted to do was walk away. To return to her work and complete this assignment with diligence. But her feet stayed rooted upon the ground, refusing to move from the spot of Yvette's claim.

"So something big and strong is on the loose," Jasmine said, "let me guess this next part… you believe a creature caused this, right?"

"Well, partially," Yvette explained, "I believe this crime is connected to last Friday's incident. I mean, what's to say that this thing from that portal hasn't already traveled into our city and cause the scene your witnessing?"

"Do you even have any evidence of this being true?" Jasmine asked.

"Of course I do," he said, "a _real_ safety patrol member always has evidence."

He quickly pulled out a bunch of tiny tapes from his worn satchel. All of them were either chipped or slightly damaged in appearance.

"I've seen these somewhere before…" Jasmine said, "don't these come from those security cameras you buy at the dollar store?"

"I wasn't in the best financial condition when I got there," Yvette confirmed, "but I assure you where they lack in quality, they make up for in quantity.'

Despite the serious look on the man's face, Jasmine couldn't help but smirk at the thought of someone like him walking up to a cashier with a bunch of little cameras. She almost wanted to burst out laughing at the idea, but she managed to compose herself.

"When I got them, I carefully planted them throughout the woods and near the wall," Yvette continued, "and I've recently captured some very interesting images you might find useful in your search."

Jasmine's eyes widened after his sentence.

"What do you mean my search?" she asked.

"Well, aren't you a little bit curious about what's really happening?" he asked, "you're not just going to sit back and let Paul inform you about every little thing he finds, right?"

Despite her friendship with him, Jasmine didn't want that to be the case. Having to ask Paul for information was fine, but he would always keep her in the dark about little things. As long as Paul cared for her wellbeing, she might never really find out what's going on.

She looked at Yvette's stupid face and snatched the tapes. All of them were labeled, "Eastern Wall".

"So… where is it?" Jasmine asked, "it sounds like you already know a lot about it."

In the blink of an eye, Jasmine suddenly found herself looking into Yvette's cold, determined eyes.

"The question is not _where is it_ Jasmine," Yvette stated, "but rather… how do _we **kill** it before it does any more damage?"_

The sudden change of his voice sent chills down her spine.

"Are you suggesting to hunt this thing down?" she asked.

"Why not? We did it with the witches and trolls before," he stated, "since when has it never worked out?"

"When proper laws in the justice system were established," Jasmine countered, "you can't just go looking for this thing and expect to kill it without any repercussions. Who knows if this thing even exist?"

"I _know_ for a fact that it exists," Yvette said, "I saw what state it left that building in. That kind of power is monstrous. That thing can _kill_ people Jasmine."

"Not on my watch it won't," Jasmine said.

"Which is why I'm asking you to join me in my search," Yvette asked.

Jasmine was startled by the sudden request. Working with someone like Yvette had never even crossed her mind before, and even though he had been polite with her, the idea of teaming up with him disgusted her.

"This solves nothing," Jasmine said, "are you done wasting my time?"

"I wouldn't have come here if it wasn't important," Yvette said, "I only came to you because I know you want to find out what's happening just as much as I do."

"What you're suggesting is insane," Jasmine said, "I mean, hunting down some imaginary monster that may or may not exist is simply foolish."

"Well, these are very unusual circumstances we've found ourselves in," Yvette explained.

"If that's the case, then you've given me nothing to work with besides a few damaged tapes," Jasmine interrupted, "and I've already told you twice that you're not allowed in this area, so you better leave right now before I call Erik and tell him you're interfering with the investigation."

Suddenly, Yvette's mouth glued shut. His eyes darkened. Despite his new solo status, shutting him up was as easy as simply bringing Erik into the conversation. Jasmine didn't know exactly what kind of power that man had over Yvette, but it was enough for him to scoff at the officer and look away.

"... Fine, have it your way," he said, "but just so you know, big things are coming this way. I'm here to protect the city from creatures like this. And with the Great Raven coming soon, I'm sure he wouldn't be too pleased knowing a monster was lurking around during his visit."

Suddenly, Yvette turned around and began walking away.

"And what do you think you're going to be doing?" Jasmine asked.

The man stopped and turned around slowly toward the officer. His face was entirely covered, leaving only his blue eyes visible in the light.

"I'm going to save this city," he claimed.

And with that, he was gone.

Jasmine stood there, holding the tapes the lunatic had given her. His initials had been drawn on them, with cursive lettering to mark his ownership. She had no idea what could be on it, but she was ready to quickly write it off no matter how important it could've been.

Yet, her curiosity had overtaken her. Maybe this was even bigger than she thought…

What was coming?

* * *

 **Victoria Van Gale**

The old woman muttered to herself as she quickly began relocating to her new hideout.

The police were swarming her old lab, probably digging up every last bit of research she had cumulated over the years. All that progress. All that effort. All of it was for nothing. Those kids had once again destroyed _YEARS'_ worth of work in an instant. Just because of some foolish mistake on Hilda's part. It was always her, interfering with her design. As if she knew what was best. It disgusted the scientist to the very core knowing her entire foundation was destroyed by a simple-minded lunatic.

She knew she had crossed the line this time. The second she reached for the gun, she destroyed any sense of humanity she had left. But she had abandoned that morally accepted threshold a long time ago. It didn't matter what had to be done as long as she got the results she was striving for. Of course, that came with a price, but it would be worth it. At least… it was _supposed_ to be….

After her first lab was destroyed, people had assumed she ran away or died in the destruction. Now though, people were aware of her existence. She would be considered an armed criminal now by Trolberg's standers. Something to be locked away and rot with the rest of this city's filth.

 _What a **joke**_ , Victoria thought to herself, _I would never be caught dead in those hideous jumpsuits._

She had planned for an incident like this years ago. When she first established her new base, she had also set up a small outpost at the edge of the city where her _third_ lab resided. It was located near the harbor in an abandoned group of warehouses, specifically in the orange warehouse at the edge of the lot. It was the perfect place to hide out for a while, especially since the area was so far away from her previous base. Sure it was near the harbor, but the bustling activity there would provide a healthy distraction from her location, and no one would dare trespass because of the waste that surrounded the dump. Her lab there hadn't been properly set up yet, but once she arrived she could quickly build the place from the ground up. She had stored some of her weather equipment and research there before the incident, and she had made a replica of her machine that she used on that boy. She hadn't lost everything just yet.

All she had to do was get there through crowded streets of witnesses and officers. That would be quite a challenge considering how huge the city was. Even though she was well kept for her age, she underestimated how many people would be out after the news. Luckily, this is where her care packages came in. She had scattered small boxes all over the city after her old lab was destroyed in case she ever needed to lay low for a while, hidden expertly, of course, to remain undetected. Each box was filled with an assortment of clothes, notes, and weaponry to defend herself. Since she had lost her main source of protection from that _thing_ , she was going to need whatever one of the box's provided. The closest one according to her map was right underneath her.

 _The sewers…_

Her hands instinctively started to crush the map she was holding from the thought of traveling through there, but she had no choice if she wanted to avoid the police. Besides, the confusing tunnels led to the harbor, which landed her right at the destination to her next hideout. She had to do this, no matter how… unsanitary it was…

Closing the map, she slipped into the crowd of pedestrians and maneuvered her way through the streets. Her eyes fell to her feet, observing them nervously as they shuffled back and forth from one point to another. Right under her feet was the key to freedom, she just hoped that no one would notice her before she got there. She couldn't let herself get caught. Not for another five days at least. Then she could finally leave this cursed place.

After five terrifying minutes, she flung herself into an unseen alley, her breathing accelerating as she curled her fingers around the space of the manhole cover. To the best of her knowledge, no one had paid any attention to her, giving the scientist a slight burst of confidence. Even though her fingers ached from the intense weight put upon it, she forced herself to wrench the cover free. The second she did this, the smell of revolting trash shot into her nose, causing her to cough in disgust. It was just as bad as she imagined, but she didn't have a choice. Pinching her nose, she grabbed the cover and climbed into the hole, keeping her balance by the latter that was installed there. Once she secured herself, she propped her hand outside and pulled the cover back overtop her, hearing it clink in place with a satisfying sound.

Darkness surrounded the scientist, cutting her vision off of the sewers below. All she could sense was the feeling of cold metal spreading across her fingers, faintly reminding her of her old lab. Quickly shaking the memory away however, she slowly descended, counting the rungs as she did. Those numbers soon reached the double digits. Then it felt like they tripled. Her arms began shaking as she approached near the bottom, the scent of bulging trash so thick that Victoria almost considered turning back.

She couldn't do that though, she knew she couldn't. She forced herself to continue, reaching the bottom and planting her feet on the ground. Once she did this, something squishy seemed to squeak under her boots. It felt small enough to be a rat, but also squishy enough to be something… worse. She quickly flung the thing away into the darkness around her, hearing it splash into the water.

Yep… she had made it to the sewers all right.

She squirmed a bit, hating the feeling of absolute filth beneath her. If she hadn't felt like vomiting before, now was the perfect time to do so.

"You're almost there Victoria," she muttered, "just keep walking and you'll be home free."

Nodding to herself, she grabbed her flashlight off her belt and shook the device to life. The beam pierced through the shadows, casting a glow onto the cobblestone walls before her. It was bright enough to disorient her eyes, acting as a momentary distraction from her queasiness. She slowly adjusted to the light, catching the sight of graffiti sprawled along the walls. Most of it was childish rubbish, displaying mad ramblings about some sort of rat king. Victoria rolled her eyes upon seeing it, wondering about the fools who might've drawn it while tinkering with the brightness of her flashlight.

The beam brightened and allowed her to continue on the path North. She walked through the tunnels carefully, minding her step whenever she approached broken glass. The scent of trash was so powerful that the poor scientist couldn't find herself smelling anything anymore. It was as if something had clogged up her nose and remained there, intent on causing her as much misery as possible. She did her best to ignore this by reminding herself of her intense feelings of hatred for Hilda.

The girl had ruined everything once again, not to mention that stupid boy and bird as well who decided to join her. Victoria couldn't believe that they had found out about her plans after she had been so secretive before about it. How could they find out if they didn't even know she was around anymore? It must've been Eric. That disgusting sniveling fool. Before they met, he must've grabbed the attention of one of her posse, and then they followed her back to the lab. It was the only explanation. How else could they have found her? Not through her broadcast. She didn't make them anymore after the first incident.

How she missed making them…

She wanted to think of something else, something that would make her forget those pointless things in her past. But it was so hard to not think about her old life, the one she used to cherish before Hilda came along. No one bothered to listen to any of her broadcast before, but it didn't anger her. She simply loved reporting on the weather, even if no one cared to listen. She loved every second of the job. Every tedious task. Every sleepless night. Every monumental breakthrough. She had so many things to prove to Trolberg, so many things to invent for the public. That's what her entire life had been about. It was her only purpose. People told her to quit. They said it was harming her. But of course, she never paid any mind to them. She didn't expect them to understand or even listen. No one ever did.

That is until one day when she finally got her first listener.

She remembers exactly when they tuned in. It was seventy-five degrees on an August morning during a Friday. One of her machines had ticked up a counter when she was about to start her forecast. Its job was to detect whenever someone had tuned onto her network, and on that day someone finally had. The notion that someone, an _actual_ _person,_ was listening to her forecast filled her with excitement. So much so that she had _forgotten_ to do the forecast. But she didn't care. Someone was finally listening to her. Relying on her for information….

A small part of her wondered if Hilda relied on her broadcast like that as well. Before she stopped, she only had three people tuning in daily to it. One being Hilda of course. But she never found out who the other two were. Now she would never find out. She had lost just about everything. And now she was all alone, making her way through the disgusting network of tunnels.

Pain swelled within her heart, but she shoved the feeling down with an iron grip. Now was not the time to whine about how good her life used to be. Now was the time for progress, and how that progress would lead her to victory. She may have lost her number one source of power, but she would soon show them all the true value of hard work. All she needed was a new hideout, and her little care package. It wasn't far now, only a few more steps and then a right. Then she'd be able to pick up where she left off and finally end this misery.

She began to rush, sloshing through the disgusting liquid until she made it to the next intersection. There she took a quick right…

And had her heart stopped in place.

Her spot where the package was, something was standing there. Its silhouette was long and fatigued, producing a sound of withered breathing from its mouth. Its head was slightly bent, gazing at the box. Trying to find out its purpose. The creature's eyes were the only thing noticeable in the darkness. They were dead… cold…

Horrified by the disfigured shape, Victoria fumbled with the flashlight and shined it toward the thing's direction, her adrenaline rushing to her legs in preparation to flee.

The light revealed its true nature. The figure was not a creature, but a woman. She was her age, maybe even older, but she looked weary in comparison to her. Wrinkles covered her face. Her arms were frail, as well as her legs. All she wore was a very old looking nightgown, something Victoria had only seen in _her_ great grandparents' closets before.

She didn't have anything on her except the box…

Victoria's heartbeat gradually returned. It appeared the woman was no threat to her, but she could sense something was wrong. She quickly put her flashlight away and approached cautiously.

"Excuse me miss," Victoria said, "I believe that box belongs to me."

The women in question snapped to attention, her eyes wide. Her stance was frozen, but she made no moves toward the scientist now. Her fingers tightened around it, losing color from the lack of blood.

"W-who are you?" the woman asked.

Her eyes had grown dark, contorted to express and extreme sense of dismay.

Victoria remained silent, keeping her eyes on the woman. Even though she appeared weak, she was obviously unstable. Someone like her could ruin her entire plan by snapping and doing something stupid. She needed that box if she was going to continue to the harbor.

"My name is Victoria…" she said, "and… you're holding my box…"

Their eyes met once again, and for some strange reason, the woman began shaking.

"N-no… I-I'm…" she started.

Suddenly, the woman stopped short.

"Y-you're Victoria right?" she repeated.

"Yes, that's my name…" Victoria confirmed, "and you're…?"

A great silence stretched out into the darkest depths of the sewers.

"I'm nothing…" the woman said, letting the box crash onto the ground.

The contents scattered along the floor, startling Victoria. Before she could even process what had happened though, the woman simply turned around and walked off into the darkness.

The last thing Victoria could see were her eyes, glimmering… and dead…

Shaking off the creepy encounter, the scientist quickly got down to her knees and stuffed everything from the box into her bag. Her files were still intact, along with the updated research papers and charts she had stuck in last week. There were some supplies like new clothes to blend in, and data saved onto flash drives for her to download.

She had finally gotten everything she needed. That lady had slightly halted her escape, but now she was back on track to her new hideout. She just had to get there quickly before the police found her…

Who knew how much time she had left?

* * *

 **Reid Merric**

In the distance boats sputtered and churned out of the docks, gentle waves splashing against their barnacle coated hulls.

Reid quickly skipped down the steps to the harbor, a smile producing on his face as he looked over Björg's Bay. The place felt like a second home, with the gleaming ships and smelly fish feeling like natural additions to the boy. He breathed in deeply, taking in the familiar scent of the vast ocean. It was slightly sulfury, with just a pinch of green and briny finish. Just as his dad described it before setting off today. He was out there somewhere, catching an immense rainbow of sparkling fish for the Bird Parade this year. Reid hoped he'd hurry though, the weather today had been all over the place, and now he could sense a rainstorm was coming. The clouds were getting darker and darker, and he could already feel a few light drops on his skin.

To pass the time, the boy decided to descend to the docks, waving at everyone who passed his way. The effect of the harbor was immediate, filling the boy's heart with a sense of adventure as he made his way past the bustling activity. Stars glimmered in his eyes as he watched giant ships pass by, each one having collected a colorful rainbow of fish. Hard-working men filled the harbor, ensuring that everything was functioning at a steady pace. Older fishermen barked orders at their younger colleagues, who quickly got to work collecting stacks upon stacks of fish to be cleaned and cooked.

All of this commotion because of the famous Bird Parade, the most exciting thing to come that week. Reid didn't know all the details behind the orders coming through, but he knew enough to understand that no one would be talking to him for the entire week. His father and friends were too busy with their work to notice him, and he was okay with that. Knowing that his father was contributing to the Great Raven's arrival was enough for the boy. Sure, the past few days have been lonely, but at least he could talk to Frida instead. She was always there during their tutoring sessions to help him talk about problems he couldn't confess to his father. Of course, he had to wait until tomorrow to see her again, but he could pass the time easily all on his own.

But what to do exactly?

He had no friends to hang out with, so he figured he could just play by himself. He grabbed a nearby stick still damp from its time near the water and began to fiddle around with it. It was thin and lumpy, with one tiny branch sticking out of the middle of it. He had seen the Sparrow Scouts before carving things from blocks of wood. So, maybe if he tried hard enough, he could do the same. He didn't have any tools, so he grabbed a sharp rock instead. He sat down near a massive drain tunnel and began his attempt to carve it into a small spear. As he did this, he hummed along to an old song his dad had taught him, staring out into the bay waiting for his ship to pull in.

Clouds overhead darkened, allowing tiny drops of rain to hit the boy's skin. The chill of the rain reminded him of a story about an old ship that sunk in the middle of the bay during a really bad storm. He heard stories that if you waited long enough, it would appear on the water. But there was nothing out there but the silent breeze that flopped the boy's wild hair around. Some people say a lightning bolt from the Great Raven caused it, but Reid could never believe it. He was there to protect the city, not harm its citizens. Reid's theory was that it was the rat king who caused the sinking. He read somewhere that rats could breathe for three minutes underwater, so a whole bundle of them could survive long enough to destroy a ship. Considering how big people believed it to be, Reid wouldn't have been too surprised if it was the truth.

The kids at his school said he lurked in the sewers, waiting patiently for any sort of prey to fall into its clutches. The story of its appearance changes from person to person, but the most common description is that it's made up of a thousand smaller rats with their tails tied together. Some boys in his class had sworn they'd seen it by the harbor, which is the only reason people didn't hang out with him that much.

Maybe if he was as brave as his dad, or the Sparrow Scouts even, he could stop the Rat King from terrorizing the city. Then kids at school would finally hang out with him! And then they could talk about life. Or math if they were into that sort of thing. Or even sleepovers...

Or...

His breathing stopped. Something splashed behind him. Or at least he thought he'd heard something splash. The noise was so faint that he might've imagined it, but he was pretty sure his hearing was up to par. He turned around slowly, gripping onto the badly carved stick in his hands.

"H-hello?" he said, "is someone there?"

He heard something move again. Now he was sure he wasn't imagining it. His heart began to speed up, pumping against his chest as he waited for the figure to reveal itself.

And then it came out.

He was right, there was something there. It was big, but somehow very quiet. Perhaps the thing of nightmares? The Rat King itself? Maybe that's how it took its victims, by being very quiet when it snatched them up. But it didn't fool Reid. He wasn't crazy after all. This was his chance to prove himself!

But he froze. His feet didn't dare to move. He was sweating buckets. He thought he could be a little brave, but he couldn't even bring himself to even run away. He watched as it shambled its way out of the darkness. Its eyes glowed. Its figure pushed forward.

And from the darkness came…

A woman…

The boy began to relax. It wasn't the scary rat king like he thought it was, but instead a nice-looking old lady. She wore a long white coat, although it looked a little torn up, and she was carrying a big brown bag filled with mysterious treasures. Reid wondered if she had potions in the bag like a witch usually did. But she didn't have a pointy hat or green skin. She looked more like Ms. Cherry, the sweet librarian in school. Maybe she was the same.

Reid approached the lady but stopped short when he saw her mouth moving rapidly. Peering a bit closer, he realized she was strangely muttering to herself. It was a sight that sent most people scurrying away, but not Reid. He actually found himself doing that as well when he was bored in class, although all of his classmates thought he was weird for it. He tried to explain to them that it's not weird, but they never believe him.

He wanted to wait until the woman stopped talking to introduce himself since his father said it was rude to interrupt someone when they were speaking. But she never stopped. She kept muttering about something he couldn't quite pick it up. Maybe if he talked to her he would find out.

"Hi there, miss!" he said cheerfully.

The woman stopped in her tracks and turned toward him. She had wrinkles all over her face, and her hair was long and wild. Looking closer now, she really did look like the witches from the stories his dad told him. But he would never say that to her face. That would be rude.

He waited for her to say something in reply, but she strangely didn't. Maybe she was waiting for him to say something. So he quickly cleared his throat.

"It's nice to meet you!" he exclaimed, "my name's Reid, what's yours?"

She was paying attention to him, but she still didn't say anything. Reid guessed she must've been really shy then. And now she was silent because he was putting her on the spot. Is that why she wasn't responding? Because she was upset? He didn't want her to be upset with him because of something he said. A bit nervous now, Reid began thinking of things to say to hopefully turn the conversation around.

"U-um… you seem familiar," he said, "do you live near the harbor? I live here, so I'm always there. Usually when it's sunny though. Then you get to see all the boats!"

Even though she said nothing, the woman's eyes widened.

"A-are you alright miss?" he finally asked, "what are you doing in the sewers? Aren't you afraid of the rat king eating you?"

Now Reid began to wonder if she had possibly seen the rat king firsthand. Maybe that's why she wouldn't talk. She's under his spell and can't talk anymore!

"Did he cast a spell on you?" he asked, "Is that why you can't talk?"

"N-no, I can talk…" she said suddenly, "I just... can't talk now…"

She finally spoke! But she sounded really sad. Yet, her face was happy as well. Now Reid was getting confused.

"Oh… " Reid said, "did something bad happen?"

"You could say that…" she said.

The lady was silent now, staring back into the sewers with a distant gaze. It's the same type of gaze Reid's mother used to have on those quiet nights when she was alive.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Reid asked.

She had decided not to speak again.

"Well… whatever it is that's making you sad, try to think happy thoughts instead!" he suggested, "whenever I'm having a bad day, I just think of a really good memory, and I feel happy again."

The woman stared off into the bay and sighed wearily.

"I don't know if it would work for someone like me…" she said.

"Trust me," he said, "as long as it's a really good memory, you'll definitely feel happy. For example, just watch me."

Before the woman could respond, he closed his eyes and relaxed thinking deeply of his happiest memory. He breathed in, the nasty smell of the sewers fading away. He pondered about it, remembering all the little details.

It was the day of the Bird Parade, the first one he could remember since he was five at the time. His mom was there, and his dad was happy. He remembered the slight chill of the air that year had caused them to bundle up in some warm clothing. They stuck out like ugly weeds since everyone else had dressed up, but they didn't care. His mother made a little joke about it actually, comparing them to three bundled penguins in a vast safari. That year, the entire street was glowing, and he remembered being hypnotized by the lights.

When the Great Raven swopped down into the city, his jaw dropped in surprise. He had heard the stories in school, but never actually seen him. He was even bigger than they said, casting a large shadow upon the street. The darkness was lifted however by the huge sparks of lighting he produced around him. He was so powerful, yet he was also protecting all the citizens of Trolberg. Whenever he flew by, it felt like Reid was flying with him as well.

Times were different now, but whenever he remembered that day, he always felt at peace. When he opened his eyes, a smile was produced onto his face. He turned toward the old lady, and to his surprise, found her doing the same thing. Her eyes were closed tightly, and she began breathing deeply. Her face relaxed. Her rigid posture faded away. A part of Reid wondered what memory she was thinking about before she opened her eyes.

"So, how do you feel?" he asked.

"I feel… better… now," she said, "I'm… a bit surprised it actually worked…"

"People usually say that at first," Reid said, fumbling with his stick, "but I find it's quite helpful when things look grim."

The woman looked down, a somewhat peaceful expression taking over her face.

"Thanks, kid…" she said, "for the advice…"

"I'm happy to help!" he chirped, smiling brightly. It made him feel good to know that she was happy now.

Suddenly, a booming horn echoed across the harbor. Reid's heart stopped, knowing full well what the sound meant. The evening boats were coming in, which meant it was time for him to go home.

"That's my cue to go home," Reid said, picking himself up, "it was nice meeting you!"

"Wait!" she said, grabbing the boy's hand.

Reid stopped in place, trailing back to meet the woman's eyes.

"You said your name was Reid right?" the woman asked.

He nodded.

"Listen, Reid," she said, "I need you to swear that you'll never tell your parents about this conversation, okay?"

"I can do that," he said, "but why? Did you do something bad?"

"Um... well, let's just say, everybody kind of hates me right now..." she explained.

It was such a strong word to use. _Hate_. Reid couldn't remember the last time he ever used such a word. Maybe when he was younger and more immature. But it conveyed such a strong emotion to him now that he didn't like using it. And even then, looking at the woman, he couldn't see how anyone could hate her. She looked so polite and calm.

"I don't hate you," he said, "you seem really nice."

The woman's expression morphed into one of slight shock.

"... Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, you talked to me," he said, "and you didn't brush me off. You listened to me."

Now she was silent again, a conflicting look entering her eyes.

"Do me a favor and stay the way you are," she said, "don't let anyone change you."

The boy smiled in response.

"Aye aye miss!" he said happily, "and I promise I won't tell my dad about you."

The woman seemed to relax when he said that, finally feeling comfortable enough to smile.

"Thank you, Reid," she said, waving goodbye to the child.

Reid waved back at the woman with a smile and rushed down to the docks. He wished he had gotten her name, but the conversation they had was enough for him to remember everything about her. If they ever crossed paths again, he was sure to say hello. People usually didn't say it back. But a small part of him believed that she would. There was something different about her.

He turned around and saw the woman making her way over to the abandoned warehouses near the harbor. The place was dark and scary, but he guessed that's where she was staying. He waved to get her attention, but she never looked back. She just kept walking until she finally vanished from sight.

 _She was nice,_ Reid thought, quickly turning around and making his way home.

* * *

 **Darkness is all I see**

I woke, unsure of where I could be. This feeling. It's familiar. Like an old friend I've lost long ago, it's returned to me. It's been so long, but I'm sure it's here. She said it'd be. So I got up, hands shaking. The intense pressure in my head only lasts a few seconds before it fades away. Now I check the doors. I checked the doorknob. Then I checked it again and again and again and again. It's locked. The door was locked. Thank goodness it's locked. It can't see me. Or… maybe it still could. Who knows what it had done in the last few years?

I'm shaking again. Please no. I can't do this. Not again. Please let it just stop. It's dark. The furniture was a mess. The house was still dusty. I hadn't kept up with anything. Why? Why didn't I clean up sooner? The guest might come soon. That's right. The families were coming today. Or… was it something else? I don't quite know yet. Maybe they were. Or were they? God, it's happening. Something is happening today. I just can't remember. I had to remember something.

"Falling… Falling… Falling…" I croak.

The floor was dirty, but that didn't stop me from sliding onto them like a child again. The smell was so repulsive. I had to remind myself I wasn't at home. But then where was I? My feet and gown were wet. Maybe I was at the harbor. But it didn't smell like fish. It smelled like death. Like ash. Like fire…

I can remember the stories, the stories my father told me so long ago. What were they? They were about the devil I think. Yes, that was it, the devil next door. His cloaked figure shrouding the town in darkness. He said they were hidden in everyone. I've only felt this type of madness once before. All those years ago back when this happened. Now it happens again.

The truth. I was the only one who knew the truth.

Please no. Don't think of them. Just close your eyes and don't think of them. God, he _RUINED_ everything! It has to be stopped! That's how it has to be. No more fire. No one will be hurt! I have to stop him. I have to stop it before it kills us all. Then I can save her. I can save everyone. I just have to stop it right?

A crowd runs by. Sirens! God, it's everywhere! The trucks are red and white. They rush somewhere. Oh god, what's happening? What is it showing me? The other nights I let it go as it pleased! Why is it coming back?

Shaking. Cold. Fear. I felt it again. It's happening to me now…

I'm losing my mind.

Take a breath. Then another. The air starts to clear. Inhale and exhale. There's no more ash. Breathe slowly again. You're fine now. The mist starts to clear.

I look around. I'm in the sewers. How long have I been here? Twenty years? A thousand? I begin to walk. My feet move back and forth. Somewhere I'll arrive at a destination. Maybe they'll take me in? I don't know. Tears pour out, and then I choke out a sob. I cover my mouth and let my cheeks get stained with tears. My fingers are wrinkled. My skin feels weak. God this is a mess. I wonder when this will all end. I have traveled a thousand lifetimes, how much farther do I have to go? When I think about what lies ahead... it becomes difficult to breathe. But it's all I can think about now.

I see light. I see the children. The two and the girl. The girl at the doorstep. That's what the bell told me to find. I had to wait for them to come back with him soon. So I have to go home. I have to go home now.

Stumbling, I make my way toward the light. It's not the one I'm hoping for. It's the sun, breaking through the dark clouds of rain. A few tiny drops hit my skin. Just like all those years ago.

No one is around the area. They will come later, after Victoria and Reid meet. Then he'll know. That's all the information the bell gave me. Now I can wait again. Until midnight. Then I can figure out the next piece of this already broken puzzle.

Tonight was only the start though.

* * *

 **Here's the next chapter, I hope it was worth the wait.**

 **This is the longest chapter I've done, coming around 9000 words. I've edited this thing about ten times, so I hope this monstrosity turned out alright. I kind of got carried away with the differing POV's, so there's a lot to explore here. The next chapter should be out sometime next week. If not, then the week after that.**

 **Real quick though before I tune out again, I wanted to thank you guys so much for sticking with the story. I know I'm not the best writer in this tab (believe me there are much better stories than this) but it means a lot to me that you've all stuck with this for so long. It really does inspire me to continue, and I always get giddy whenever someone reviews, whether it be positive or negative. I'm still trying to improve and knowing you guys are here just makes my day.**

 **So thank you. Each and every one of you. Even the people just dropping by. Thank you all so much :)**

 **With Love, Fluffytail15**


	15. Happy Thoughts, Nasty Dreams

**_?/?/? - ? - ?_**

 _You thought you could trust them._

 _You thought she was nice._

 _But deep inside her._

 _Is a burning vice._

* * *

 **Eric Lyons**

I told them...

I talk about my first moments in the world, and the ride with the woffs, and my encounter at the wall. I tell them about Trolberg, and the eerie atmosphere I felt during my time there. I talked about Claire, and the portal video. And Victoria tricking me, and everything she told me. I talk about my lost memories, dreams and visions. I talked about almost everything at that kitchen table, catching my breath a few times before continuing on.

The only thing I keep private is my relationship with Trevor and the knowledge he shared with me about everyone else. A part of me wanted to talk about him, but I knew it wasn't the time. They all disliked him, that bird and Hilda especially, and only Trevor could remedy that mess. Even though I felt bad for leaving him out, he didn't have a place in the conversation. When the time is right, I'll tell them about him, and what other things I know. But for now, he's the only thing I don't mention to the others.

Other than that, I explained as much as I could to them. I was speaking loud enough so everyone could hear me, but I directed most of my story toward Hilda. She sat right beside me, listening to my story quietly with determined eyes. Out of everyone at the table, I think she cared the most. I'm sure everyone else cared to, but somehow, I think she was the only one who understood how I was feeling, and that's why she wanted to help. I mean, we both had the same dream. We both risked our lives for each other. She came to help me when no one else did...

I don't know why exactly, but I felt… safer when I spoke to her. I've never felt that feeling before unless I was hanging around Trevor. But with Trevor, it felt like a _regular_ kind of safe. Like with friends, you might hang around with. But with Hilda, she actually knew what I was going through, and she wanted to help. Her actions reminded me of something long ago, like an old friend of sorts. I couldn't remember who it was, but that memory triggered a feeling of comfort. Something I could rely on. It might be crazy to put someone's trust in a person after meeting them for only one moment, but she was willing to throw her life away to save me back at the alley, even though she didn't know me...

That kind of attitude... while reckless... made me trust her...

So while I was nervous, I still shared my story. If she could help me, I had to tell her everything important that happened to me. So I did. It took a long time to get through it... but eventually... I managed to fill everyone back to the present. Having to remember all those horrible things made me sick, but I managed to calm myself enough to make eye contact with the group. I was waiting for them to dismiss the story, or kick me out, or something. But they didn't do that. They just sat there quietly, reflecting on my tale like I was. The only sound I could even detect in the room after that was Alfur feverishly writing down notes of what I told them. He probably had finished twenty pages by this point for how long I talked.

It was sort of awkward sitting there with no one speaking, so I decided to break the silence by saying a few words.

"So... that's it..." I said quietly, quickly looking down at my shoes to avoid eye contact with everyone again.

When I said that, my heart suddenly felt like it was burning.

"And this all occurred in two days?" David asked a few seconds after.

I nodded quickly, confirming his suspicion.

"Wow... you've surely been busy," Frida responded, leaning back in her chair a bit.

There were no words I could say to that remark, so I just nodded again in agreement with her as well.

Both David and Frida sat near each other, observing me as I do them. Looking at the pair, I can tell they're not malicious, but they're definitely cautious of me. Why wouldn't they be? It's my fault they're in this mess. They have every right to be suspicious of me. Although David seemed more comfortable around me, which I appreciated. Frida on the other hand always appears skeptical whenever we make eye contact. It's the only form of evidence I see that proves she doesn't like me. Not that I blame her. This is all definitely my fault.

I sat there, waiting for them to say anything else, but they didn't. The longer they stayed silent, the heavier the air felt. It was like a rope, slowly tightening around my neck until it became almost impossible to breathe.

"I-I'm sorry if it isn't much," I blurted out, "it... doesn't reveal much..."

"No, it's okay Eric," Hilda quickly reassured, "I know we can figure this out. We just need to think things through and look over with what we already know."

"Exactly!" Alfur chimed in, "although the information provided to us is scarce, I'm sure we'll be able to discover something if we study these events carefully!"

The elf's bright and cheery somewhat comforted me a little bit, even after what happened back at the lab. I don't know how he was able to forgive me so easily for dragging him into this, but he didn't seem to mind that much. Besides Hilda, he was actually very nice to me, more so than others in the room. I remember how considerate and patient he was when I had to sign the documents to see him earlier. The text was frustratingly small, and my dumb brain couldn't comprehend some of the words on the paper, but he helped me through the whole process until I finished it.

They were so willing to help me, but I couldn't do anything to return the favor. It felt so wrong to me...

"So looking back on your story... I think it's clear you don't remember anything before you suddenly showed up here," Hilda said, her voice cutting through my thoughts. Twig, who sat right beside Hilda, nodded along as if in agreement with her.

"Well... pretty much, yeah..." I answered, "I... don't remember... anything..."

My voice trailed off after I said that last bit. No matter how much I try to understand it, the whole thing seemed abnormal. It really started to hit me how much I didn't know when I thought about it. My family. My friends. My school. My past. My purpose. I can't remember a single thing except for my name. That's it. And that's probably all I'd ever know. It felt so surreal to think about.

I was standing, and breathing, and thinking... but I couldn't... remember...

"That's... way to bizarre..." David said nervously, who appeared just as frightened of the concept as me, "can someone just lose all of their memories like that?"

"Obviously someone could David," Frida answered, "we already have a pretty clear example in front of us."

I thought she was addressing me, but when I looked at her, I noticed she wasn't staring at me. In fact, her attention was turned toward...

 _The Great Raven..._

Or just... _Raven..._ as everyone calls him. He looked, pretty normal for the most part. Just like a regular bird with black feathers and average beak. To any normal person, the only weird thing about him was his slightly large size, and his strange ability to talk. It surprisingly didn't scare me as much as it should have. What did scare me though is what Trevor had told me about him. Even the stories I overheard while passing many adults on my quest for answers. How strong and powerful he was. How he was the grand protector of the entire city. How he's practically a god... something so powerful that even trolls fear him.

That very god of this city was quietly sitting on a chair, staring right back at Frida with an unimpressed glare. Looking at him now, he didn't look very threatening... but that didn't stop the fear I felt around him...

"Listen, what I went through is nothing compared to this kid," Raven answered, "I got my memory back after a few hours, it's been almost three days for him."

"And Eric did get shot out from that unstable looking portal," Alfur clarified, "as opposed to getting hit by some tiny rock."

"For the record, it hit me square in the chest," Raven quickly added, "and it was pretty powerful throw too."

Suddenly, a quick memory flashed through my mind.

 _"I hit this raven in the tree... and Hilda just freaked out over it..."_

What Raven was mentioning... he was talking about Trevor. So Raven lost his memory after getting hit by that rock. The whole story was starting to make more sense. But... they don't how bad he feels about it...

"Even then, it's all the same isn't it?" Frida rebutted, "whether from a rock or portal, both of them suffered through some form of trauma that caused them to forget everything."

"But... whats happening to Eric is definitely unnatural," Hilda interjected, "Eric is just a kid like us, but he's having all this strange stuff happening to him."

 _Just a kid..._

 _..._

Even with Hilda's words... it felt weird saying that. I thought I was a kid... but now... I'm growing a little concerned that I might be something else...

"For something like this to happen," David said, "you must've gone through something intense in your world."

 _Intense?_ I never actually thought about that. What if something went wrong in my world that brought me here. The thought freaked me out enough to quickly shake it away.

"It's truly a scientific phenomenon though," Alfur said, "such an event like this has never been documented before!"

"Let me guess... you'll be the first one to record it?" Raven asked.

"You bet I am!" Alfur said cheerfully, "think of all the knowledge to be gained from this! The scientific breakthroughs! The new medical theories! The increased research on multidimensional travel! Of course someone has to write it all down!"

Right after he said that, Alfur began excitedly detailing his plans for the list of documents he was going to soon wip up, all to the indifferent nature of everyone else.

"There he goes again," Frida said, shaking her head.

"Um... how does he have the energy to write so much?" I ask, my curiosity slightly heightened.

"That's just Alfur for you," Hilda said, "it's quite impressive actually."

It _was_ impressive. My hand just hurt writing a couple sentences in my journal. Who knew elves could be so organized...

"He is right though," David said, interrupting everyone's train of thought, "something like this has never happened before. Which makes it all the more difficult to find out what in the world's happening here."

"That's gonna be kind of hard..." I say, a bit nervous again, "I really don't remember much that could help you guys..."

"It's fine actually," Hilda said with a thoughtful look, "this may be far fetched... but I think I might have a _solution_..."

Everyone went dead silent at the table. My own heart stopped beating from hearing Hilda's words. Even Alfur stopped talking about his newfound assignment for the moment to express his shock...

"R-really?" I sputtered, my voice practically shaking in itself.

"Um... well, sort of..." she quickly added, "it's sort of hazy, but when you were talking about your dreams, I remember seeing you in one of them."

After everything that happened today, I'd almost forgotten about it. It felt like that dream didn't matter anymore after all the crazy visions and guns and pain I experienced. But I still could recall what happened in it very clearly...

"Wait, are you talking about the dream you had last night?" David asked, "with what you told us... it didn't seem like much happened in it..."

"That's true, but there was one thing..." Hilda said, "one thing that _Eric_ said to me specifically..."

Everyone turned toward me now, although, it was more so specifically Alfur and Raven since I guess they had no idea what we were talking about.

"Okay, hold the phone," Raven said, "what _dream_ are we talking about here?"

"Exactly," Alfur agreed, "can someone explain to me what's going on about that?"

"You guys weren't here for it," Hilda clarified, "but earlier today, Eric and me shared some sort of odd dream, and in it, we made contact with each other. For some reason though, he said a very peculiar word..."

Before Hilda could even recite it, my mind was echoing the world loudly in my brain.

 _"Falling..."_ my mind moaned.

"Falling," Hilda echoed, "and I think I heard that word somewhere before..."

All eyes were on Hilda now, my own included. She seemed somewhat hesitant to tell us, but judging from her expression...

She must've known something more...

* * *

 **Hilda**

She knew she had to.

Before all of this. Before Eric, or Victoria, or even the dream, she heard the world. At the very start, someone warned her of this very thing happening to her. And yet... she couldn't believe her ears...

 _"BEWARE OF THE_ ** _FALLING_** _STAR HILDA!"_

Falling... that women had warned her of this. But how did she know? Was there something bigger coming? Was Eric just the start?

Whatever the case was, Hilda was certain that lady knew more than she was letting on. Residents nearby called her the 'crazy lady', sure... but this was different. She just knew, there was something about her...

She had to tell them...

"Do you guys remember the crazy lady?" Hilda asked.

Of course, there was no response from Aflur or Twig since they've never met her. Frida and David clearly remembered her from their slightly worried expressions But surprisingly, both Eric and Raven's eyes widened upon hearing the nickname.

"C-crazy lady?" Eric blurted out, his eyes wide.

"As in... that woman who... specifically _k-kills_ birds...?" Raven said.

Both of them seemed to have a prior history with her, which somewhat surprised Hilda. She didn't expect them to have actually encountered her as well.

"You guys know her?" Hilda asked.

"Of course I do..." Raven admitted, shaking a bit in fear, "she tries to lure in unsuspecting birds so she can... c-cut them up into... i-itty, b-bitty... p-pieces..."

"I saw it firsthand when walking around..." Eric answered, "although... i-it was more like smashing to bits instead of cutting..."

"But... why her?" David asked, "how is she important in all this?"

Everyone turned towards Hilda for an answer. Their expressions ranged from visible confusion to audible worry.

"Well... she said something to me that was specifically said in Eric's dream..." Hilda answered.

"More like screamed," Frida said, "I could still hear what she said after we got away from her."

"O-oh right!" David said, slamming his fist in his palm after realizing it, "she said something along the lines of... _Falling Star..._?"

"Exactly!" Hilda agreed, snapping her fingers, "she said it would come and bring all of us something misery or something."

Frida and David immediately understood the meaning behind her words, but the others didn't seem to follow as well.

"Are you saying that _bird killer lady_ has something to do with all this?" Raven asked, still looking visibly terrified.

"Of course not," Hilda said, "I'm just saying she might know something about Eric's situation and could help us..."

"Just from a dream though?" Alfur said, "it is suspicious, but it could be purely coincidental. Your brain can sometimes morph memories and turn them into dreams. Maybe that was what you were experiencing instead."

Before Hilda could respond to his statement, Eric surprisingly stepped up.

"But... I was conscious in that dream..." Eric said, "I said those words, and I remember how Hilda reacted to them. I couldn't control my body though. Those words were forced... as if something... else... said them..."

"Something else?" Alfur repeated, "so if you both had the same dream, and can remember it with extreme accuracy..."

"It might not be a dream anymore," David said, "it might be a vision telling you to go to that old lady..."

"I see..." Alfur said, quickly making up his mind, "so... our only option is to visit her in person and see what she can reveal to us."

Everyone seemed in agreement with the plan. Except...

"Ummmmm, _I ABSOLUTELY object_ to this idea!" Raven shouted, "have you guys even seen her? She's a complete psychopath!"

"She's an old lady," Frida corrected.

"WHO KILLS BIRDS!" Raven interrupted, "I don't want to become her next victim if I go there with you!"

"Raven... I don't think you should be concerned," Alfur said, "I mean, if it came down to it, I think you could defend yourself."

He looked a little flustered after that last bit.

"W-well... I don't want to accidentally hurt an old lady either," he said, "what if I scare her cause of my size and she has a hard attack?"

Hilda felt slight pain in her heart seeing Raven genuinely scared of having to go there. She didn't want him to be forced into doing something he didn't want to. So, she quickly made up her mind on what to do.

"If you're really don't want to go, you don't have t-" Hilda tried to say.

"GREAT IDEA HILDA! I'll just stay here instead," Raven quickly said, crossing his wings "you guys can just tell me what she said afterword and we can talk about it from there."

His attitude change was so quick that Hilda almost experienced whiplash, but she didn't really care that much. As long as he felt sade, that was all that mattered.

"So.. are we going to do this today?" David asked, looking over at the clock, "it seems a little late for that now..."

Hida turned over to where David was staring at and noticed the clock on the wall. Her heart dropped when she realized what time it was.

"It's almost seven..." Hilda muttered, not even noticing how dark it was getting outside.

"That's not late at all! We can still go," Frida quickly said a little too eagerly, "we just have to be back before-"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow that," Alfur said, "it's too dangerous to be out of the house at such a late hour. Until mum arrives, we cannot risk taking any brash moves."

"We'll just do it tomorrow then," David said, "right after school is done. That way, it's less of a hassle."

That seemed like a reasonable plan as any, but Frida still looked dissatisfied.

"Great... the one time we might actually find an answer, and I can't even be there for it," Frida said sadly.

Hilda was struck with confusion by her comment. Before all this she was all about wanting to find answers, but now she suddenly couldn't attend?

"Ah, because of the tutoring, right?" David suddenly asked, surprising Hilda even more.

"Tutoring?" she repeated, "since when do you tutor people Frida?"

The girl looked down glumly from Hilda's comment, hesitating to answer immediately.

"Since three months ago in June," she answered, "I'm supposed to help this boy named Reid with his schoolwork every Monday and Wednesday, and tomorrow I have to show up again."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Alfur said, "you're helping someone who's struggling in academics!"

"I know... that's why I've never missed a day," she said silently, "he's actually excited when I come over, he even has a little room set up for us to work in. His father is always out on his fishing trips... so it's usually just us working on school assignments and talking about things... and he _talks_ about a lot of stuff. About school, and his toys, and the most recent grade he got on his spelling test..."

Frida actually smirked when she said that, seeming to enjoy the memory.

"Wow, he sounds like a nice kid," Eric said, and Hilda couldn't help but agree with him.

"Exactly," Frida agreed, "that's why I can't miss out. He's already alone all day. Ditching him just to find out what's going on would suck... so... I won't be able to go..."

Hilda could feel Frida's frustration with the idea, but she had no choice but to follow through on it. Her decision was admirable though. Hilda wasn't sure if she would be able to have the same patience to sit with some boy instead of solving this grand mystery.

"I promise we'll tell you everything we find out right after," Hilda said, "you have my word..."

Frida looked up and smiled.

"Thanks for the inclusion," Frida said, "It ends at around six, so I'll be coming over here right after, got that?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Anyone else have any plans tomorrow?" Hilda asked.

"No... I'll be able to come with you," David said quickly.

"I'd be honored to accompany you!" Alfur said.

Twig simply wagged his tail in approval.

"I... don't really have a choice..." Eric said, "I need to know..."

"Then it's settled," Hilda said, "Raven and Frida will be the only ones not going then."

"Don't forget me," someone suddenly said behind her.

The voice attracted the attention of everyone, causing the whole group to look over near the fridge. Standing there was a familiar face, who just so happened to be covered in leaves.

"You just now decided to show up?" Frida asked.

"There wasn't anything else going on," Tontu said, 'who's the new kid by the way?"

Unsurprisingly, Eric immediately reacted accordingly to the Tontu's strange appearance.

"A-AH!" Eric yelled, flinging himself back a bit in his chair.

"Is he okay?" Tontu asked casually, "it looks like he just saw a ghost."

"He's just never seen a Nisse before," Hilda explained, quickly going over to make sure Eric was okay.

"A Nisse?" Eric questioned, "w-what in the world is that?"

"I'll explain a bit later," Hilda said, "but he's friendly, so you don't have to worry about him."

"O-oh..." Eric sighed, appearing to calm down somewhat, "um... h-hi then..."

"Hi," Tontu said.

...

...

...

...

...

...

"I guess this is a bad time?" he asked.

"Very much so," Hilda said.

"Okay then, I'll just come back later," Tontu stated, quickly making his way into the Nowhere Space.

Everyone looked over at Eric, who appeared to be terribly confused at what he just witnessed.

"I guess that means Tontu also isn't going with us tomorrow," David said.

"He did seem to give that impression," Alfur agreed.

Trying to ignore what happened, Hilda immediately went back to business.

"Okay then, I guess this means Raven, Frida, _and_ Tontu aren't joining us for tomorrow," Hilda said, writing it down, "other than that, we're all good, right?"

Everyone once again nodded in agreement.

"I guess it's settled then," Hilda said, "the rest of us who are free will meet up at school and go to that old lady's house."

"Good plan, but... what about Twig and Alfur?" Frida asked, "they can't go to school with you."

"We'll just meet her there later!' Alfur said, "Twig is an excellent navigator, so we shouldn't have any trouble reaching you."

"And what about me?" Eric asked.

Everyone turned toward the boy, who looked sheepishly down at his hands again.

"I-I mean... I... can't go to school..." Eric said slowly, "and... I have nowhere to rest for the night... how... will I meet with you guys?"

Hilda didn't want to admit it, but she actually had no idea how to respond to that question. There was no way he could stay at Frida or David's place, and Hilda had no idea if her mum would allow Eric to stay over. To even convince her to let him would mean telling her everything Eric had been through, and that alone would raise some red flags about him. But he already had spent multiple nights outside, and forcing him to do that again would be as inhumane as forcing him into that awful machine again.

...

...

...

Hilda looked over at Eric, who didn't know anything about his past, or friends, or family. He had nowhere to go...

...

...

She couldn't let him down like this.

"You can stay here for the night," Hilda blurted out, "and then follow Alfur and Twig after school ends tomorrow..."

Eric and Alfur looked at her, a little surprised at her suggestion.

"Really?" Eric asked, his voice becoming a little lighter.

"Are you sure about this Hilda?" Alfur asked, "we don't know if mum would allow it."

"I'll find a way," Hilda said, "for now, Eric can stay here. We'll figure out something else if it doesn't work out."

Eric seemed in complete shock.

"A-are you sure?" he asked, "I mean... wouldn't want to bother you..."

"It's fine," Hilda said, "I just have to explain what's going with my mum. She'll understand..."

 _Wow, that didn't sound convincing at all,_ Hilda said to herself.

"Uh... good luck with that," Raven said.

"Yeah... hopefully that works out for you..." Frida said, looking at the girl with pity.

Despite the true statements her friends were making, she found herself not really caring that much. Because the expression on Eric's face made all those concerns fly away.

"... T-thank you... s-so much..." Eric said, smiling happily, "I... I promise to repay you... somehow..."

For some strange reason, even though Hilda barely knew anything about the boy, his smile somehow made everything worth it in the end.

* * *

 **Claire**

In the distance, the sun was rapidly descending into the silver line of the sea.

Claire sat at the edge of some random roof, capturing the scene in as much detail as she could. The milky sky was mixing into blossoming colors of gold, orange, and blue, radiating the atmosphere in a peaceful plane of absolute wonder. The rainy clouds from earlier were slightly parted, breaking away to form tiny wisps in the sky. There were already some twinkling stars visible in the transparent background of the canvas, but the light from the city and sun prevented the night sky from truly shining through. In the sea, boats filled with exhausted fishermen were returning to the harbor after a long day of work. The last few stragglers were finally docking in, greeting their families with open arms and cheerful smiles.

It truly would've been a breathtaking sight, had it not been the disgusting smell of fish in the air.

Claire sat alone, dangling her legs carelessly over the edge of the building. She had no idea who's house this was, nor did she care. She would have to leave soon anyway, as the night was quickly approaching. However, she wanted to spend a few more minutes in the dazzling sunlight before it truly despaired. She laid down on the roof and extended her arms out, stretching them toward the infinite horizon of the sky.

There was so much space up there that Claire was sure it could fit a gazillion butterflies and still have room left over. She decided to now picture a world where the sky was coated with butterflies, and their colors shined onto the entire world below. Could she somehow fly with them if she flew high enough? Would her powers allow that?

...

She highly doubted that. But then again, she had been doubting a lot of things lately.

The sun was almost out of view, it was time to go. She quickly slid off the roof and morphed into a little whisp. Once she did, she quickly traveled along the other rooftops before making it into a nearby alley. Checking if the coast was clear, she made her way into the small pedestrian traffic and made her way to Hilda's home.

All of a sudden she felt her phone vibrate in her left pocket. A bit annoyed by the interruption, she quickly pulled it out, causing her to fumble with it before catching it mid-air. Recovering from the slight panic attack, she opened her phone and checked the notification. Expecting it to be another meeting call, she was about to delete the message, only to suddenly notice the large exclamation point that blinked rapidly on it.

 _ALERT - Shooting reported near Rohottin Street in Downtown Trolberg. Suspect still at large._

Claire's eyebrows raised instinctively at the report. It looks like someone finally decided to get their hands dirty and commit a crime. But why though? And who could be involved? Her immediate thought was of the small boy Eric she met earlier today. Even though he was a child, it was obvious he wasn't in the right frame of mine. He was spewing complete nonsense from the start, and he seemed a little unstable. If he was apart of that crime, maybe she could make some use of it in her nightmare for him tonight.

That would certainly be delicious...

She smirked at the thought of the reactions of the others when she would tell her story. They would be so jealous of her newly picked target. He didn't have a clue about anything in the city, including marras. And considering his disheveled and nervous appearance before, he seemed to have a lot of natural material to work with. He seemed horrified about the portal video she showed, maybe she should go with that first, and then transition into his family dying in front of him. Or maybe she should have it where he was left behind by his family. That would emotionally scar him for sure. She would just have to quickly make her way to Hilda's house and get the jump on him before Hilda could catch her.

...

Actually, now that she thought about it, she was sure Hilda wouldn't even warn the boy about marras existence anyway. They were too worried about working out his _memory loss_ problem to bother with that.

Putting her phone away, Claire continued along the path to Hilda's house, all the while having a smile plastered on her face. Not because of the horrific nightmare she would permit tonight, but because of the thought of the billions of butterflies fluttering in her mind.

* * *

 **Once again, there's no excuse for me.**

 **I'm very sorry this chapter is initially shorter than usual. I** **had trouble writing this chapter since I was low on motivation and online school was kicking my butt, but once I got back into it, I had a lot of fun writing everyone's interactions. It was super enjoyable, and I'm excited about all the stuff I set up for you guys to theorize or read into. I tried to tone back the mystery and just focus on the actual characters this time around, which was super difficult, but also cool.**

 **Again, sorry for taking SO long getting this out, but I'm still committed to this story, and I have many ideas for what's to happen in the future. Thanks for sticking around!**

 **Stay Safe Everyone!**

 **With Love, Fluffytail15**


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